


Of Heavy Souls and Flying Spirits

by phantomdieb



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: I had that sitting in my drafts for way too long, M/M, Spirits AU, anyways I'm happy, happy end, or lets call it 'procrastination at its finest', with angsty bits inbetween
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-21
Updated: 2016-09-13
Packaged: 2018-05-15 09:24:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 28,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5780419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantomdieb/pseuds/phantomdieb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Akaashi is 12 years old when his mother dies and some weird coincidences make the villagers believe that he is an evil spirit.</p><p>Five years later, Akaashi has learned to deal with the looks and the insults coming from the villagers. At least on the outside. Even though he pretends that he doesn't care it gets to him. After a particular bad day Akaashi finds himself running straight into the forest where the spirits live - and meeting someone who will change his life forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sometimes a first encounter is all it takes

The sunrise was a beautiful thing.  
  
  
Unless one was up until deep into the night, reading books, and now got woken up by the sun shining into their room.  
  
  
That one was Akaashi.  
  
He turned away and pulled the blanket up over his head to block out the light but it was too late already. He was awake. Even though his house was a little on the outside, he could still hear the voices and noises coming from the small village he was living in.  
  
  
He lay on his futon a little longer but eventually he gave up and pushed the blanket away. He stretched before he stood up and hid the yawn behind his hand, though there was no one to hide it from than himself. Akaashi rubbed his eyes before he washed his face and got dressed. When he left his house, the sun was high already. It was warm. Even the wind.  
Akaashi didn't like the warmth and prefered to stay in the shadows or at home. But he had to buy some rice or else he wouldn't have lunch.  
  
  
Akaashi let his gaze wander a bit before he started to walk towards the village. It lay by the sea, which was stretching to the south-east. From the small hill, which his small wooden house was standing on, he could see the small boats of the fishers scattered all over it.  
On the west side of the village were more hills. And much larger than 'his' hill for sure.  
But what really captured Akaashi's interest, was the forest that was hiding the village from possible enemies in the north.   
  
His mother used to tell him stories about that forest. Many spirits lived in there and they would lead any human, who entered it, astray, so that they would never find the way out of their forest and died in there.  
As he got older, Akaashi was sure that mothers mainly told that story to their children to keep them from entering the forest and getting lost in there. But still. Every time he looked at that forest, he couldn't help but feel drawn towards its mysterious aura. Yet at the same time he felt unsettled if he just thought about it. After all it was still the home to the spirits. And even if they didn't lead humans astray to let them die, he wouldn't dare to disturb their peace.  
  
  
Akaashi was so lost in his thoughts about the forest, that he didn't notice that he already got into the village. But once he did, he could feel it. All eyes were on him again. As usually.   
It got silent, too. Mothers grabbed their children's hands and quickly dragged them away. People closed their windows and wooden doors. Moved out of his way.   
Akaashi tried to ignore it. He was used to it, after all. They've been doing this for a over five years now.  
  


–

  
  
It all started when one of the children dared to talk badly about his mother, who had just passed away. Akaashi was full of pain and anger, not understanding why it had to be _his_ mother when she was all he had had. He screamed at that child to shut up or they'll regret it but that child kept going, cruely deepening Akaashi's emotional wounds. Tears ran down Akaashi's face as he ran away and hid in the empty house he once called home.  
He was sobbing so much that it became hard for him to breathe. Normally Akaashi was a child that would conceal his emotions well if he didn't want to show them. But the sadness he felt from the loss of his mother made him vulnerable and he surely couldn't just act like everything was normal after she was gone.  
  
That night, Akaashi kept crying until he fell asleep from exhaution.  
  
  
It wasn't even a week when another death occured in the village.  
The silence was almost deafening. Even the wind was still.   
The only sound that signaled that there was still life in that village, was from a wailing mother, mouring the loss of her child.  
Nobody said something as Akaashi stopped in front of the house, his eyes widening in realisation.  
  
The child that had talked badly about his mother was dead.  
  
  
Akaashi didn't know what to feel. There was a hole in his heart after his mother's death, numbing his body so that he didn't feel the pain. He didn't shed a tear, unlike the other children, who tried to hide their tears by wiping them away with their sleeves. Failing as the tears kept coming, mourning the loss of a friend.  
He knew that even if that child hurt him, they didn't deserve to die. And yet he couldn't bring himself to care.  
  
Akaashi just turned around and left.  
  
  
But that was only the beginning.  
  
  
Soon after a farmer who refused to give Akaashi some rice because he wasn't able to pay him had to see that all of his crops had died. Every single one.  
  
  
The coincidences kept piling up, and soon everyone in the village was convinced that Akaashi was a spirit that cursed people from the village if they didn't do what he wanted. And even if he got what he wanted, he'd just take lives as some kind of sacrifice, or because he felt like it.  
  
  
They started to despise him. No one wanted to talk to him. He got left out, ignored. Hated.   
Akaashi refused to let that get to him. He could do without them, he told himself everyday.   
Yet still.  
Sometimes Akaashi would lie on his futon, unable to fall asleep, and he'd think 'Why? Why me? I didn't do anything wrong. Why does everyone hate me? I'm just a boy.'  
  
After all he was only 12 years old.   
  


–

  
  
Akaashi held his head high when he walked past the villagers.   
  
  
He had learned the hard way that they'd talk about him more and insult him louder if he tried to blend in the village. They had called him a fake who tried to capture innocent people by acting all innocent and friendly. Someone even threw a stone after him to chase him away.   
  
(Not even two weeks later, that person had died after a tree fell on them and crushed them underneath.)  
  
  
He came to the market and he felt the eyes of all merchants on him. As if they were all pleading him to not come to their stand. To just walk past.  
Akaashi stopped when he found some good fish.  
  
“I'd take one of these.” The merchant hurried up to put it into a bag and quickly retrieved the money. “And now leave!” he huffed at Akaashi. It was fine. Akaashi didn't plan on staying anyways.  
  
The next time he stopped was for buying some vegetables. He saw that the hands of the girl, who was putting the vegetables into his bag, were shaking. She almost dropped the money, as if she would be cursed once she touched it. Akaashi left before she would burst into tears.   
His last stop brought Akaashi to a farmer who sold his rice on the market. The farmer scowled when he spotted Akaashi in the crowd.   
  
“Your rice is in there,” he spat out and pointed at a bag at the end of his stand before Akaashi could even say something. And when he reached for the money, the farmer backed away. “Just leave! I don't need your cursed money, you evil spirit. Just leave me and my family alone!”  
  
Akaashi swallowed and just left. He could take the insults. He always had. Hurrying home, Akaashi felt the eyes of the villagers staring at his back at he left and he pretended that he didn't hear someone say “Thank the Gods, he is leaving.” Akaashi also pretended that there weren't tears stinging in his eyes as he walked up the hill to his home. And he definitely didn't fall to his knees, sobbing, right after he came home and closed the door behind himself.   
  
There was no reason to do that, right?  
  
  
After he calmed down, Akaashi slowly stood up and put the food he had bought in the kitchen. He allowed himself to sit down for a few minutes and just take deep breaths, before he washed his hands and his face and started to prepare his lunch.  
  
  
It was only when he was almost done that he noticed he had forgotten to buy something important. His tea was almost completely finished. It seemed like he had to go back.  
Akaashi sighed and thanked for the food before he started eating. He would get his tea after lunch.  
  
  
He finished his food and took a deep breath. He could do it. It was only his tea. Then he would go back. It – no – _he_ would be fine.   
  
  
It was no different from before. People stared at him. Moved out of his way. But the whispers around him were by far worse.  
  
“He should leave already.”  
  
“He's possessed by an evil spirit. Don't go near him! Don't look at him!”  
  
“What did we do to deserve to have to live with someone like this?”  
  
“He's a demon. If you're not careful enough, he'll kill you.”  
  
“We would be better without him.”  
  
“ _He should die already._ ”  
  
  
Akaashi clenched his fists to stop his hands from shaking, and everyone around him took a step back. They probably thought that he was going to curse someone so that would die. Akaashi would laugh about it if he didn't know they really meant that and if that knowledge didn't hurt him that much.   
They didn't have to love him. Just leaving him alone, in peace, that would already be enough for him.  
  
  
He stumbled over his feet when something hard hit his back. Akaashi stopped and turn around, just to see that a stone was lying by his feet. Someone had thrown a stone at him. He looked around and his breath hitched in his throat. They were all looking at him with such a disgusted and hateful looks on their faces that he stumbled back a bit.  
  
  
Akaashi long forgot about his tea when he turned around and started to run.   
Run run run.   
Faster.   
Just get away from here, from everyone.   
Tears were streaming down his face, clouding his vision. But Akaashi kept running. He didn't stop when branches started to hit his face, or when little stones and twigs bore into his feet after he had lost his shoes somewhere on the way. He didn't stop when he tripped over his own feet and fell. He just got up and kept running further.  
  
Akaashi did stop though, when his lungs felt like they were burning. Screaming for air.  
He closed his eyes and tried to catch his breath, the blood rushing loudly in his ears. Slowly Akaashi sank to his knees and winced. When he opened his eyes he saw that his knees were scraped open where he had fallen before and that blood ran down his legs. Akaashi cursed a bit under his breath and looked around when he spotted some water in the distance. It seemed like a small river.  
It took him a few deep breaths before he could get up and walk towards it. Akaashi sat down and scooped some of it out of the river. At first he hissed when the cold water met his skin, but soon it became pleasant. He scrubed away the blood from his legs with his fingers, before he allowed himself to take a gulp of the clean water. The coolness was refreshing and with a sigh Akaashi leaned back.   
  
  
Only now he looked around and realised that he had no idea where he was. It was dark, but Akaashi couldn't tell if that was because it got late or because the trees blocked out the sunlight.   
The only light was provided from the river. It gave off a slight glow, softly lightening its surroundings.  
Anyways, he had been dumb. He just had stormed blindly into any direction. Not looking where his path went. Thinking about the situation, Akaashi remembered the words the villagers had whispered behind his back and his head started to hurt.  
Why?  
Why did they all hate him?  
He didn't do anything wrong, and yet they wished him to leave.  
Or worse, they wished for his death.  
  
  
Akaashi felt the tears welling up in his eyes again and quickly blinked them away. He didn't want to cry again. So he started to think of his mother.   
Back then, when she was still alive and everything was so much better. He had had someone who had loved him unconditionally. Made him laugh. He remembered how she would read books to him or tell him stories about far away countries and adventures.   
A smile appeared on Akaashi's face.  
  
  
But as he was indulging himself in pleasant memories, he didn't hear anything that was happening around him until a twig cracked right behind him. Akaashi whipped around, his eyes open in surprise and fear, his heart now racing.  
Over him hovered a man. It was too dark to see more than this, even if Akaashi squinted. The man stopped when Akaashi looked at him. who used that opportunity to quickly get up. The man wasn't much taller than he was, Akaashi realised.  
The weird man whistled.  
  
“I've never seen you around before. Are you a spirit?”  
  
  
There it was again.  
_Spirit._  
  
  
Normally Akaashi would've ignored it. But this time, he snapped:  
  
“I'M _NOT_ A SPIRIT! QUIT SAYING THAT ALREADY!”  
  
  
The man backed away.  
  
“Then... what are you?”  
  
“A human like everyone else. Now go and leave me alone!”  
  
  
It was weird, Akaashi registered. It was dark, too dark to make out any facial features of that strange man. And yet he could see that he was grinning. He could _feel_ it.  
  
“Are you sure?”  
  
“Of course I am!”  
  
“No, I mean... are you sure about the _everyone else_ part?”  
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
  
The weird man took a step forward and flapped his wings Akaashi only now noticed.   
  
  
He blinked. Once. Twice.  
“Holy shit.”  
Akaashi quickly covered his mouth with his hand and took a step back in fear.  
  
  
The man grinned at his reaction.  
“My name is Koutarou, and I'm an owl spirit.”


	2. Maybe it's not the spirits...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After finally being freed of stupid school assignments I managed to finish this chapter.  
> Have fun!

Akaashi stumbled backwards. His eyes were wide in fear and his heart was beating rapidly.  
A spirit. There was a real spirit standing in front of him. Akaashi couldn't move. There was no way he could outrun him. Not if he was a spirit, and especially not if he had wings. Behind him was just the river. Its slight glow illuminated the spirits – Koutarou's – face, making his grin look threatening.  
  
  
The spirit took a step towards him.  
“Hey, did you hear me? I'm Koutarou, an owl spirit! And who are you?”  
  
“Akaashi, a human,” Akaashi managed to say, his voice trembling slightly. He still couldn't believe that he ended up running into the spirits' forest.  
  
  
Koutarou licked his lips.  
“So, what are you doing here, Akaashi? Did you get lost in here?”  
  
“Maybe it's not me who's lost but you,” Akaashi blurted out. He figured that if he couldn't outrun the spirit, he could try to outsmart him. Confuse Koutarou. Somehow make him leave.  
Unfortunately the spirit didn't seem like he wanted to leave.   
  
Koutarou drew his eyebrows together and put a finger to his chin.  
“You're right. I may be lost. Or not. Who knows? I surely don't!” He started to laugh as if he had just made an incredibly funny joke.  
“So? You still didn't tell me why you're here!”  
  
“I-” he couldn't tell a spirit about his problems, right? That would be completely preposterous.  
“I felt like exploring the forest. It's so quiet and dark, it calms me down.” He was only partially lying and he hoped that Koutarou would buy it.  
  
And he did,  
  
“I know right? I love this forest a lot,” he suddenly beamed at him.  
  
Akaashi felt his confusion rising.   
His mother had always told him about the spirits and how they were supposed to be dangerous creatures that hate humans with a burning passion.  
And yet he was standing here, across one of those spirits which was... friendly chatting with him?  
  
Maybe Akaashi had hit his head when he fell and was now imagining things.  
  
“Hey hey hey... Akaashi, right? Are you spacing out? What are you thinking about?”  
  
Akaashi snapped out of his thoughts.  
“Owls,” he said the first thing that came to his mind. He blamed Koutarou and his wings for that.  
  
The spirit stared at him before he started to grin at him. Not a teasing grin like before when he had revealed who he was, but a geniunely happy one.   
  
“Do you like them? I could show you some if you want!!”  
  
He reached out for Akaashi, but then stopped midair. His expression suddenly turned angry. Akaashi could feel a chill running down his spine and his breath hitched in his throat. He started to sweat under Koutarou's gaze.  
  
“You're not here to harm them, right?”  
  
This was so ridiculous, that Akaashi forgot for a moment that he was talking to a spirit.  
“Are you stupid? I would never hurt an animal!” He immediately bit his lip after he finished his sentence.   
Now he had done it.  
  
But instead of getting angry, Koutarou seemed to be satisfied with his answer and relaxed.  
“Okay good.”  
  
And before Akaashi could react in any way, Koutarou grabbed his hand and dragged him along. Akaashi stumbled at first but managed to catch himself. Maybe this was what his mother had been talking about. Maybe Koutarou was now going to lead him him deeper into the forest and then let him out there to die. If this was happening, there was nothing Akaashi could do against that.  
  
He just followed Koutarou.

  
  
Akaashi had been so sure that Koutarou would just drop him once he was deep enough in the forest to never find his way out, that he didn't expect him to _actually_ take him to a nest of little owls. He told Akaashi to wait and flapped his wings. It was less dark in this part of the forest, so now Akaashi could see just how majestic Koutarou's wings really were. They were of a rich dark grey colour. And they were big. Almost too big for flying in the forest, it seemed.   
ALmost silently Koutarou landed back on the ground. In his hands, he was holding a baby owl.   
  
Akaashi's eyes widened a bit. “It's so tiny,” he whispered to not frighten the animal.  
  
Koutarou smiled.  
“Right? There's three others up there, but they were too afraid. This one is an adventerous one though.” He was talking in a hushed voice.  
  
“You can talk to them?”  
  
“Mhhm. It's more like I can feel what they're feeling?” Koutarou scratched his head as if he was thinking about it for the first time.  
Akaashi reached out to touch the owl, but retreated before his fingers could touch the feathers.  
  
“Is something wrong?” Koutarou asked him.  
  
'I'm in the spirits' forest,' Akaashi thought. 'I'm with a spirit. I let a spirit drag myself into the forest and I have no idea where we are. The spirit is friendly talking to me as if we are friends. And I keep replying normally. There are many things that are wrong.' But instead of voicing them, all Akaashi said was: “I'm afraid to hurt it.”  
  
Koutarou stared at him. And if Akaashi didn't know better he'd say that Koutarou looked like he was in awe.  
“Give me your hand.”  
  
Without waiting for a reply, the spirit grabbed Akaashi's hand and gently put it onto the owl's head.  
Akaashi's hand jerked away but Koutarou's grip was tight. Not tight enough to hurt, though.  
  
“See? You're not hurting her. Actually, she likes it. She says that you have nice hands.”  
The owl closed its eyes and really seemed to enjoy it. Akaashi took a deep breath and kept stroking the owl even after Koutarou let go of his hand. A smile spread Akaashi's his lips.  
  
“It's very soft,” he muttered quietly.   
  
But after a while, Koutarou looked up to the other owls.  
“I'm gonna put her back to her siblings. Their mother will probably be back soon. I don't want to make her worried.”  
  
Akaashi just nodded right as Koutarou spread his wings again, just to land next to him again a second later.  
  
“Close your eyes!” Koutarou demanded.   
  
Later Akaashi would ask himself why he had decided to trust him, but right at that moment, he didn't hesitate and closed his eyes. He felt Koutarou coming closer and he was wondering if he had made a mistake and that this was the moment the spirit decided to kill him. After all owls were birds of prey.   
  
He almost flinched back when Koutarou's hands touched his face and he felt him fumbling with his hair.  
“You can open your eyes.”  
  
“What did you do?” Akaashi's hand shot up to where Koutarou had fiddled with his hair before.  
Something soft stroke his hand.  
“Is that-?”  
  
“A feather! You were so careful with the owl, so I thought that you should get one.”  
  
When Akaashi didn't reply, Koutarou's enthusiasm seemed to be gone instantly.  
“You don't like it?” He looked sad and his confident posture fell. The corner of his lips were pulled down, just like his wings.  
  
Akaashi still didn't reply. He wasn't able to. His throat felt tight and he was afraid that the second he opened his mouth sobs would escape his lips and tears would spill out of his eyes.   
When had been the last time someone got him something? Or had been nice to him? He couldn't even remember. Probably when his mother had been still alive. And now he got a present. From a spirit even.   
  
Maybe it wasn't the spirits that were the monsters...   
  
Koutarou reached out to him and when Akaashi realized that he wanted to take back the feather – as he thought that Akaashi didn't like it – he flinched away and hurried to say:  
“I like it a lot. Thank you.”  
  
Koutarou's hand freezed midair and he blinked confused.   
“Okay.”  
  
He watched Akaashi for sometime, who started to feel a little uncomfortable under his stare.  
“What is it?”  
  
“You're different from the other humans I encountered. I like that.” Koutarou nodded as he said that, his expression serious.  
  
“So you're not going to kill me?” Akaashi blurted out before he could stop himself.  
  
Koutarou bursted into laughter.  
“No, I won't kill you. Not now, not in the future. Not unless you give me a reason to.”  
  
“O-oh. Okay. Then I'll make sure that I won't give you one.”  
Akaashi relaxed a little, but only a little. Who knew? Maybe Koutarou was lying to him and was just waiting for him to lower his guard. The possibility was there.  
  
Suddenly his stomach growled loudly. Akaashi's cheeks turned red in embarassment.   
  
“Are you hungry?” Koutarou asked him.  
  
“A bit,” Akaashi tried to lie. But his stomach betrayed him and growled once more.  
  
“I'm gonna get us something to eat-”  
  
“You don't have to! I have to go home anyways!” Akaashi interrupted. He looked up – and realised that he was right. He really had to go home. It was almost dark already.  
  
“Oh, I see.” Once again Koutarou let his wings hang down. “I'm gonna walk with you then.”  
  
“That's... nice but there's no need-”  
  
“Akaashi.” This time it was Koutarou who interrupted him. “I might not kill you but there are still other spirits that live in this forest. Some of them have bad memories, _very_ bad memories, when it comes to humans so I can't promise you that they'll let you leave the forest in peace or even alive if you walk through the forest alone.”  
  
Akaashi swallowed hard. After surviving a day with a spirit so far, he wasn't too keen on losing his life thanks to another spirit.  
“Fine.”  
  
Koutarou grinned at him and stepped forward.  
“Then follow me, Akaashi, who is a human.”  
  
  
Koutarou walked Akaashi to the border of the forest safely. In the distance, he could make out the fires of the village. Koutarou had not led him astray. But when Akaashi turned to him to thank him, Koutarou was already gone.   
  
  
What neither of them had noticed was the dark shadow that had followed them until they parted.  
  
  
  
Akaashi fell onto his futon after he finished his dinner. He was tired, but his mind was too loud to let him fall asleep. He couldn't stop thinking about the day.   
How the villagers had treated him, how he ran into the forest and ended up meeting a spirit. So far it was something that could happen. What confused him though, was the fact that the spirit had spent an entire evening with him, had taken him around the forest to show him an owl's nest. And in the end, he had escorted him back to the border of the forest. To protect him from other spirits, he had said. Akaashi wasn't sure if that was the truth, but even if it wasn't, it still had been nice. Akaashi had first declined his offer because he had thought that Koutarou was going to walk him deeper into the woods, instead of getting him out of there.  
  
A sigh escaped Akaashi's lips and he ran a hand through his dark hair. He was confused when his hand met something soft but then he remembered the present Koutarou had given him. Carefully Akaashi took it out of his hair.   
The feather was quite long, so that Akaashi came to the conclusion that it must be of the mother owl. It was light grey with thin black streaks and really pretty.   
Akaashi got up and put the feather onto his table, next to his book. He remembered that he had wanted to read more of it, but for the first time in forever he was too tired to read now. With heavy limbs he dragged himself back to his futon and curled up under the blanket. He closed his eyes and quickly drifted into a deep sleep.  
  
  
  
Akaashi kept thinking about the spirit the following days, but he didn't dare to go even near that forest. Neither did he go to the village. He recalled the whispers when he had come back from the spirits' forest alive. Even unharmed. Of course they had jumped to conclusions about how that was proof for him being one of the them. One of the spirits.   
A trickster, who liked to lead people from the right path and hurt them, if not kill them.   
He didn't want to face any of them afterwards. So he stayed at home as long as he could.   
  
  
But soon enough he was forced to leave the safety of his home and go to the village if he didn't want to starve. The second he entered the village, he could feel their hateful stares on him. Akaashi bit the inside of his cheek and kept going. He just wanted to buy food. Then he'd leave again.  
It hit him, when the usually busy and loud market, suddenly turned silent with his arrival. Not a single sound could be heard.   
  
  
Taking a deep breath, Akaashi stepped forward, knowing that all eyes were on him. People moved out of his way. A child started to cry when Akaashi was coming closer and the panicked mother was quickly trying to shush it. Akaashi knew that it was because she was afraid that her child would be facing death if it angered him.  
He hurried to move past them.  
  
  
Akaashi stopped to get some vegetables, and again for some fish. They practically threw the bags at him and refused to take his money. Akaashi quickly left. He bought tea – lots of it, as well as rice. He demanded much more than usually. The farmer just gave it to him wordlessly, but his eyes were filled with hatred. Akaashi took the rice and for a moment he just stood there, his eyes staring into the distance where the forest was, before he just turned around and went back home.  
  
  
Dark clouds gathered over the village and all colours became blurry when heavy raindrops started to pour down from the sky.


	3. A Human in the Forest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone
> 
> Sorry I post this chapter that late  
> A bunch of things happened including my computer completely dying so yeah ;;;
> 
> I hope you enjoy it anyways!!
> 
> (Also **Happy BokuAka day!!** )

Akaashi knew that something was different.

The villagers still glared at him and whispered behind his back, just like usually. But something still was... off. Akaashi's skin felt itchy and he was really uncomfortable. 

He wished that he could just turn around and go back home, but he really needed to buy food, as well as alcohol and herbs to be able to make some medicine for the soon upcoming winter. After all there was no one who would take care of him if he got sick. 

 

He was able to get himself his food, as well as the alcohol. It was when he approached the merchant with the herbs that it happened. 

The merchant stared at him, tears in his eyes, his face showing off frustration and anger.   
“Stop it.”

Akaashi stared at him, not knowing what he was talking about. “Stop what?”

“Don't play innocent!” The merchant suddenly started to yell at him. “I know it's you who's doing it. There's no other explanation for it!”

Akaashi's heart suddenly beat very fast. What had happened now? His mouth was dry when he asked: “Explanation? For what?”

“That my daughter got sick! My wife told me about it! She started to cry when you entered the village and now you cursed her! Just stop it already! She's just a small child.” 

Akaashi watched in shock as the other man started to cry.   
His blood froze in his veins. He remembered that little girl. But he didn't know what to do. He wished he could do something, anything, to help her. But he couldn't. He also knew there was no point in denying it. 

No one would believe him anyways.

He opened his mouth to say something, but the merchant cut him off.  
“Just leave. And don't come back until you lift that curse of my daughter, you demon.”

 

Akaashi sat down at the river with a heavy sigh.   
He cursed himself for walking back into the spirits' forest again, but he didn't know what else he was supposed to do. After that merchant's words he went home, without the herbs for the medicine. 

But back in the house it felt like the walls were closing in on him and he couldn't breathe. And he knew that he couldn't go back to the village either, so he ended up walking towards the forest again, knowing that he shouldn't. He wasn't dumb after all. But he wasn't exactly smart either, if he came back here, he told himself. 

Akaashi sighed again. 

He let his eyes wander, but he could barely see anything as it was almost as dark as when he first came here. It was still the river's glow that was the only source of light. Akaashi took off his shoes to put his feet into the cool water of the river and leaned back against a big rock. 

It was really quiet, he noticed. The whole atmosphere was peaceful. So Akaashi allowed himself to close his eyes and doze off.

 

Akaashi felt it before he saw or even heard anything. Something was coming. He tried to ignore the feeling at first, still sleepy from his nap, but once he heard heavy breathing behind him that just couldn't be human, no matter how much he wished for it, he sat up and slowly turned around.

Thanks to the river's glow Akaashi could see that standing behind him was a fox. A big fox even. 

 

The fox was still breathing heavily, as if it just ran a big distance over a long time. It looked directly into Akaashi's eyes, which made the male a little nervous. 

“Are you Akaashi, the human?” The fox suddenly asked him. Akaashi flinched back slightly at the sudden sound of his voice and almost fell into the river. The fox was still piercing him with its gaze.   
Akaashi took a deep breath.  
“I am.”

“Follow me. Koutarou needs your help.”

Akaashi didn't know if he could trust the fox. It was a spirit, so much he knew. He also knew that spirits should not be trusted. But then again, he had trusted Koutarou, who had safely escorted him out of the forest before. And now a spirit was telling him that he needed help. What if he really-

“Why are you hesitating, human?”

Akaashi looked at the spirit.   
“How do I know that I can trust you?”

The fox stared at him, and for a second Akaashi was sure that it looked taken aback. As if it had not awaited to get such an answer from him.

 

“Koutarou sent me,” the fox finally said after some time. “He said he felt you being in the forest and that we should get you. He hurt his wings and his legs so he can't come to you himself. And us foxes can't really help him, looking like this.”

“You can't shift to look more... uhm.. well not human but...” Akaashi gestured awkwardly, trying to find the right words.

The fox showed its teeth and Akaashi was terrified for a second, but then he realised that the fox was amused.

“Silly human,” it said. “But no, I can't shift. So, are you coming now?”

“I still don't know if I can trust you. What if you're lying to me? You're a spirit.”

“How would I know that you know Koutarou, then? He surely wouldn't have told us spirits about you if he didn't trust us. We're on good terms with the owl. And if you were just another human I encountered and I didn't know that you had met Koutarou and he had let you live, I'd just kill you.”

The fox had a point there, Akaashi had to admit. 

But his head was spinning a bit at the words.

He realised once again that not every spirit was as good natured? kind? dumb? as Koutarou was. He definitely had to be more careful, if he wanted to stay alive a little longer.

Or he should stop coming to the forest.

He got up.  
“Fine. Show me the way.”

The water around his ankles tugged slightly on his feet as he took a step forward to follow the fox spirit.

 

“Are you sure this is the right way?”

“I am. Stop asking me every few seconds, human.”

'That was only the second time I asked,' Akaashi thought to himself. 'And we've been on our way for, what? Almost fourty minutes now?' But he stayed silent.

The fox stopped and sniffed the air. It changed their direction slightly.  
“This way.”

Akaashi noticed that they were getting deeper into the forest and felt a little uncomfortable. But what if Koutarou really needed his help? He had been so nice to Akaashi, so he felt like he owed Koutarou something. 

The part of the forest they were in right now was brighter than the place where the river was. Akaashi couldn't help but look around, taking in the colours and the peaceful atmosphere. He saw a few animals, living side by side without being afraid of each other. Without tearing each other apart.   
Even the rabbits, which were usually afraid of everything didn't seem to be bothered by neither the fox crossing their way, nor the human accompanying him. 

It was almost magical. 

A small smile appeared on Akaashi's lips.

 

When he returned his gaze back to the fox, the spirit was gone. Akaashi stopped.  
“Where are you?”

He turned around, but the fox was nowhere to be seen. Did he lose him?

 

Suddenly realisation dawned on him. After all he shouldn't have trusted the fox spirit. Of course it would lead him somewhere deep into the forest and then just leave him there. Akaashi's mouth felt dry and he sank to his knees. 

He was so dumb, so dumb, so dumb! 

Of course it was a lie. There was no way that a spirit like Koutarou would need his help.  
He wasn't even mad at the spirit for leading him that deep into the forest, but at himself for believing those lies it had told him. 

'Koutarou was hurt and needs your help, human.' 

Hah!  
How could he have been such a fool?

 

Akaashi took one deep breath before he pushed himself up again. There was no use in sitting on the ground in being angry at himself. He had to try to get out. 

Even if felt like an almost impossible task. 

Akaashi looked around, taking in his surrounding in an attempt to find the direction they came from. He was grateful that he could at least see something. Yet he still felt helpless as everything around him just looked the same. Trees, trees and more trees.

He remembered his mother's words clearly:  
“Once you're lost in the forest, you can never find your way back.”

Akaashi shuddered. But he reminded himself that no, he did get lost before and he still found his way out. Even if it was thanks to a weird owl spirit called Koutarou.   
This time he was alone, but he still could make it. 

Or could he?

Rubbing his eyes with his palms, Akaashi took another deep breath. He had to calm down and think rationally. Starting to panick wouldn't help him now. The forest had to end somewhere, eventually. So if he kept walking, he would end up getting... somewhere. It was a better option than doing nothing and dying from dehydration for sure. 

 

Akaashi stepped forward.

 

He didn't even get to take as much as ten steps when he heard quiet cackling. Someone, something was here with him. He wasn't alone. Keeping himself from looking around, Akaashi stopped and said with a stern voice: “Show yourself. I know you're here.” 

He waited. But nothing happened. 

So he said a little angrier this time: “I said show yourself!” 

He heard the cackling again as the fox appeared from behind a tree. Akaashi turned to face the spirit, when he suddenly saw the movement in the corner of his eyes. There was another fox. And another one. Before Akaashi knew what happened, they surrounded him. 

“You sure are funny, human.” One of the foxes said.

“I'd say he is dumb. Why else would a human talk to a spirit like that? If we were just a little meaner, we'd kill him on the spot,” another fox threw in.

They started a debate on whether the human was funny or dumb when they suddenly got interrupted.

“Silence,” someone said. It wasn't even loud or demanding, yet the voice held enough power to make all the foxes shut up at once.   
“My my, what do we have here?”

“We found a human in our forest,” one of the foxes answered. “It's the human that….”

 

Akaashi didn't listen and rather eyed the figure in front of him. They looked human, at first. Pale skin and rather tall, his hair had the colour of sand. Fingers, long and nimble, found their way onto their chin, as the narrowed eyes pierced Akaashi with their gaze. There was an aura of authority around them

Akaashi swallowed.

But then he noticed the fox ears on the head and the tail that moved behind their back.

A spirit.

Unvoluntarily a sigh escaped him. The fox spirit cocked an eyebrow.  
“What's your name, human?”

“Akaashi.”

Something in the fox's eyes glinted and he grinned slyly.

“I see. Akaashi, it's nice to meet you. I'm Akinori, leader of the fox spirits in this forest.”

 

“I've heard a lot about you.”

Now it was Akaashi's turn to raise an eyebrow.

“You spirits? Heard? About me?”

The spirit nodded and grinned at him.  
“So, Akaashi, why are you here?”

“Because one of your fox spirits led me here.”

Akinori laughed.  
“I see, you're a witty one. But why were you in the forest in the first place? Don't you know the dangers of wandering in our forest?”

When Akinori grinned this time, he made sure to show all his white and sharp fangs.  
Akaashi felt a cold shiver running down his spine. But nevertheless he didn't back away. 

For some reason it didn't feel as scary to face the foxes than to face the people in the village.

“I don't want to tell you.”

“What a shame.” Akinori put a hand to his face and sighed dramatically. “I would have loved to hear more from you. Anyway,” he turned to the other fox spirits. “Escort him. Let's go home for now.”

“What about Koutarou? One of the foxes said that he was hurt,” Akaashi interrupted. His voice stern and his face giving away that he was angry. Akinori shrugged his shoulders.

“I don't know?”

A fox, Akaashi recognised it as the one which had led him here, stepped forward and grinned at him slyly.  
“He's fine. I just had to lure you here somehow. I can't believe you fell for this lie so easily. Humans are really as dumb as everyone says.”

Akaashi didn't say anything after that. He was just relieved to hear that the energetic owl spirit was fine.

Not that he particulary cared. But he had helped him out of the forest before. It was just natural, 'in his stupid human nature' as the fox spirits would have worded it, to want that he was fine. 

Apparently spirits didn't have that kind of worries. At least not if it involved other types of spirits apart from their own. 

 

Akaashi followed the spirit which was to escort him and soon had to realise that Akinori didn't mean to escort him out of the forest. Instead they were all going to the fox spirits' home together. Great.

“I'd appreciate if I could go home as well,” he said after he noticed. “My home,” he then clarified. 

Akinori turned towards him and grinned.  
“I'm sorry, I can't just let you go yet. First I'll have you to meet someone.”

“As long as you don't plan on killing or abandoning me afterwards.”

The fox spirit chuckled.  
“Don't worry. You're save with us. I'll make sure of that.”

 

It took a while to reach the home of the fox spirits.

When they did, Akaashi could feel their eyes on him and he forced himself to not look around.   
It somehow reminded him of the village, in some twisted way. From what he could see there were many foxes lingering in front of holes. Some didn't even bother to lift their head when he walked past them, while others eyed him quizzically.

“A human? What is he doing here? Are you going to kill him?” One of the spirits asked. Even without knowing much about spirits Akaashi could tell, or rather feel, that it was an older spirit. It was like Akaashi could feel the wisdom that spirit held inside itself in his fingertips.

Akinori smiled.  
“No, I won't. He is harmless. Let him be.”

“Fine. We trust you on this, Akinori.”

“Thank you. Say, is my brother at home?”

“He is but-”

“Thank you.” Akinori didn't bother listening until the end and went into a cave. Akaashi bowed to the old spirit before he followed Akinori. He guessed that he was supposed to.

They came to a cave which Akinori went into without hesitating and Akaashi was right behind him.  
Just as he went in he could hear someone from the inside saying something: “It stinks like a human in here.” 

Another voice answered: “Don't be ridiculous”.

 

“Taichi!” Akinori called into the cave. “Taichi come here. I've got work for you.”

It was dark in the cave, the only light coming from where they went in and Akinori and him blocked most of it with their bodies so Akaashi could barely see something. But he heard someone shuffle. 

Then, almost completely silent, the sound of steps coming closer. 

“Oh, so it was really you who kept my brother company, Kenjirou.”

“What do you want, Akinori?” One of the spirits, probably Akinori's brother, interrupted him.

“I'll have you take him to her. She mentioned once that she wants to meet him.”

“This human?” The other spirit asked Akinori.

“Exactly this one.”

“Why don't you do that yourself? As you can see I'm busy.” 

“I still have enough things to take care of. The wolves, for example. They have been too close to our border again.” 

There was a minute of silence before Akaashi heard a sigh.  
“Fine, I'll do it.” The spirit sounded annoyed.

Apparently he turned to Akaashi now because he heard him say:  
“Don't get lost on our way. I don't want to search for you. But then again we'd probably find you pretty fast. You stink terrible.”

“Like a human?” Akaashi asked and Akinori laughed again.

“He's a witty one, Taichi. Have fun, but don't tease him to much. He's mortal, don't forget that. I'll take my leave now.”

And with that he left Akaashi alone with the other two spirits.

“Well then, human, let's go.”

 

The two spirits walked past him and Akaashi turned to follow them.


	4. Fish and Raindrops

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *drags self in two months late*  
> Hello I'm still alive  
> Life's been busy, with cosplays to finish, Cons to attend, exams to study for and reports to write.  
> Along with my motivation to write just going on a trip without me. 
> 
> Anyways, I'm back for now and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

It didn't take them long to get where Taichi was to get him to. 

The place was magical. 

It was a little cave, partially hidden by a waterfall. The sound of the constant flow of water made him calm and the fact that the water was slightly glowing made him come to the conclusion that it was the same water as from the river. The lighting made the water seem a light blue and Akaashi wondered if it was as soft as it looked like. 

“Just a little warning,” Kenjirou interrupted his thoughts with a scowl on his face. ”Don't be rude or you'll be dead before you can even think about fleeing.”

Akaashi swallowed and nodded.  
“Got it.”

He looked back at the entrance. Suddenly it didn't look as inviting as it did a few moments before. He didn't know what to expect, but he also knew that the fox spirits wouldn't let him go if he didn't do as they wanted.

He took one last breath to steady himself and walked straight into the cave.

 

It was dark and Akaashi was only able to somewhat orientate in the cave thanks to the glow from the water at the entrance. That changed soon, though, as it was getting brighter in the cave the deeper he got in.

He ended up in front of a tree. It was shaped strangely. Almost like a throne.

But there was no one there.

Akaashi looked around, wondering what he should do. He opened his mouth to say something, when suddenly someone jumped onto the throne.

 

A fox spirit.

 

But it couldn't be a normal fox spirit, Akaashi thought as he felt himself being pierced by the foxes gaze and the aura that spirit emitted almost made him bow his head. He felt the need to introduce himself.

“My name is Akaashi. I-”

“So, I finally get to meet you,” the spirit interrupted him, before it shifted its shape into one of a beautiful woman. Her long dark hair stood in contrast with the light gown she was wearing, her dark eyes were fixed on him and the beauty mark on her chin made Akaashi shiver.

He had never met royality, but he was sure that if spirits had such a concept, she'd be considered one.

“My name is Shimizu,” she spoke softly and stepped forwards. “I have heard quite some things about you, Akaashi.”

The latter swallowed and stood rooted in place while Shimizu walked around him, eyeing him from all sides as if he was some kind of prey.  
“Oh, you have?” he asked nervously.

“You are the human Koutarou saved.”

She stopped her pacing in front of him and looked him in the eyes. The glint he saw in her's made his hands feel clammy.

“I am. And he did.”

“So you agree with me?”

“In a way. But he probably saved me in a different way than you think.”

“You're an interesting human, Akaashi. I can see why Koutarou helped you.”

“Thank you. And you're an interesting spirit, if I may say that.”

A small smile appeared on Shimizu's lips.  
“You may, but I have to correct you. I'm not a spirit. I'm a Goddess.”

 

Akaashi left the cave in a daze.  
A Goddess. He had spoken to a Goddess. No wait, before that even, a Goddess had wanted to see him and talk to him. But why?  
He was still wondering about that when Taichi and Kenjirou, who both have waited for him in front of the cage, had led him back to the other fox spirits.

“When can I go back home?” he asked them once they arrived.

“When Akinori says you can.” Taichi shrugged. “But he's not back yet.”

“So I'm stuck here until he comes back.”

“You better don't complain, human.”

Akaashi sighed and sat down on the ground. He looked up into the sky and noticed that it was slowly getting darker. At the same time, he heard his stomach growling. Understandable, since he hadn't eaten since he had left his house after breakfast that morning.

“Are you hungry?” Taichi asked him and sighed when Akaashi nodded. He was about to get up when Kenjirou nudged Taichi's cheek with his nose and whispered something to him. Akaashi watched as a small smile appeared on Taichi's lips and he nudged Kenjirou back before the latter got up and disappeared. 

 

He noticed that the other foxes were holding some distance to him. Giving him some space. When he asked Taichi about it, the latter shrugged.

“It's probably out of respect. I guess they've heard that you had visited her. And that you're still alive means that she likes you.”

“You mean Shimizu?”

Taichi hissed at him  
“Don't just say her name that casually. She's.. she is...”

“A Goddess. I know.”

“Then have some respect, human.”

Akaashi nodded.

 

When Kenjirou came back, he dropped something in front of Taichi, and then another thing in front of Akaashi.

“That's.. a mouse.” Akaashi said.

“Are you complaining?” Kenjirou grumbled. “I even gave you the biggest one I caught.”

Akaashi cleared his throat.  
“Thank you, I guess but...”

“But what?” Kenjirou sounded somewhat impatient. “Spill it.”

“Humans don't really eat mice.”

Kenjirou groaned.  
“Then what do you humans eat?”

Akaashi gave it a thought.  
“Rabbits and chicken, I guess. We also eat lots of fish. And rice.”

The fox spirit got up and left once more, clearly annoyed. When he came back this time, he was carrying a big fish in his mouth.

“I hope you're satisfied now, human,” he said as he shuddered from the cold wetness that clung to him. He moved closer to Taichi, who put an arm around him.

“Thank you very much.”  
Akaashi stared at the fish in his lap, unsure how to start. He should get rid of the scales first but-

“What is it this time?” Taichi asked him quietly.

“I need to get rid of the scales. And I need a fire to roast my fish.”

Taichi scowled.  
“Why's that?”

“We humans can't eat the scales and it's better for us if we roast it thoroughly,” Akaashi scowled as he remembered his mother's words to always roast his fish.

“That's ridiculous.”

Akaashi just shrugged. Taichi allowed him to get up and search for a stone to get rid of the scales, as well as a stick for the fish and more sticks for a small fire. He himself kept sitting at his spot since he didn't want to wake Kenjirou, who had dozed off in his arms.

When he had found everything he needed, Akaashi came back and started by putting up a fire before he used the flat stone get rid of the fish scales. Once that was done, he sliced it open to take out the intestines and finally pierced his fish on the stick to hold it over the small flame.

Soon enough Kenjirou stopped shaking in his sleep, as the warmth from the fire warmed and dried him.

The smell of the fish was amazing, and soon the foxes gathered around Akaashi and his small campfire to watch what the silly human was doing.

 

Kenjirou woke up when the fish was ready. He blinked at the fire, then at the fish and lastly raised an eyebrow when he looked at Akaashi.

The human didn't let it nor the stares from the other foxes bother him, He waited for his fish too cool down a bit before he took a bite. 

He closed his eyes at the taste of it. It was too good. Even more so since he had been really hungry.

 

Akaashi was halfway through his fish when one of the foxes – the one which had led him deeper into the forest, he noticed – stepped forward and asked him: “Does the fish taste different if you hold it over a fire?”

The human blinked.  
“You mean if you roast it? Well, a lot of people in my town eat it raw but I never have so I don't know. ”

The fox spirit moved its tail. It seemed unnerved as it stared into the fire.  
“Will you…?”

Akaashi stopped eating and watched the fox.

“Will you… roast me a fish… if I bring you one?”

“Sure,” Akaashi replied immediately, not even hesitating.

The fox spirit ran off – along with the other spirits.

Akaashi quickly finished his fish and went to grab some more sticks and firewood, as he figured he'd need them soon.

 

When the foxes came back, they all had some fish with them. Some bigger, some smaller. Akaashi started to get rid of the scales right away. He finished the first fish by piercing it and ramming the stick into the ground by the fire. The second followed. Then the third.  
The foxes watched him closely.

 

“Say, Akaashi,” Taichi asked him as he was waiting for his own fish the foxes had brought for him and Kenjirou, “you said that other humans are eating raw fish but you never have. Why is that?”

Akaashi stopped moving the stone.

“My mother wouldn't let me,” he finally said after a while. “A lot of children started dying after eating raw fish even before I was born, but no one believed her when she said that it was because of the fish.” He shrugged. “When I was born, she made sure I never ate raw fish so I wouldn't get sick and die.”

“You humans get sick rather easily.”

Akaashi didn't reply and continued to work on the current fish.

 

“I have a question for you as well, though,” he finally dared to speak up after a while. “Why is it that you fox spirits live together in a group? I've never heard of foxes that live together in a group. Or pack.”

He noticed how Taichi tensed up at his question. Noticed how his eyes flickered to Kenjirou. But he didn't say anything.

Instead of pressing the matter, he turned towards the fire, since the first few fish were ready to eat.

“You should wait until the fish cools down a little.”

Akaashi watched as the foxes tried to put their paw on their fish, only to quickly retreat them when the fish was too hot. He smiled to himself as he put up the next few fish.

 

When every fox spirit was eating their fish, Akaashi gathered some stones to put them on the burning ash.

Akinori still wasn't back so Akaashi figured that he had to stay the night. A yawn escaped him when he curled up next to the stones where the fire had been. The remaining burning ashes were heating up the stones, creating some kind of heater, if he just stayed close enough.

 

He fell asleep before the foxes finished their meal.

 

Akaashi woke up with a sneeze. He sat up and rubbed his eyes when he sneezed again. In his head he could hear Taichi's voice saying “You humans get sick rather easily.” Seems like he had been right. He got up with a sigh and stretched all limbs. The sun wasn't even up yet, so everything was quiet around him, which he greatly appreciated. 

 

What he didn't appreciate, though, was the rain that started soon after. He had to hide somewhere, but the fox holes were too small for him, and he wasn't sure if Taichi or Kenjirou would be happy if he entered their cave. So he accepted his fate and kept sitting outside in the rain. He knew he would regret it deeply, but there wasn't much he could do about it.

 

That was, at least, until he heard a voice coming from behind him.

“Why are you sitting in the rain?”

When he turned around, he saw Akinori standing there. He looked tired and had a few bloody scratches. When he walked up to him, Akaashi saw that he was also limping slightly. And yet he was smiling nevertheless.

“I didn't know where to go after I woke up.”

“Then why didn't you go home?”

“Taichi said to wait until you come back.”

“And he just left you sleeping outside?”

“To be fair, I fell asleep here yesterday.”

Akinori fixed his eyes on him and once again Akaashi felt trapped. The fox spirit sighed.  
“Come on, I'll walk you home.”

But Akaashi stood rooted in his place.  
“What about your wounds?”

Akinori froze and turned back to Akaashi. After a moment of silence he finally said: “They're not that important.”

Akaashi scowled.  
“But they are bothering you.”

“Just follow me already, or I'll leave you behind.”

The human sighed.  
“I'm coming.”

 

On their way back, Akaashi slowly came to realise that he was going back. Back to the village full of people who hated him for no other reason than made up stories. Back to the village he had run from.

Back to the village who would be just too happy to see him dead.

 

He felt himself tensing up. And unfortunately, Akinori noticed it as well.

“What's wrong?” he asked Akaashi.  
When the latter didn't reply, he stopped and looked at him.  
Akaashi clenched his fists and took a deep breath.

“It's just...”

Akinori raised his eyebrows.

“..just a cold. I think I got sick when I slept outside tonight.”

The spirit looked at him a little longer, and for a moment Akaashi was afraid that he knew that he was lying and would call him out on it.  
But then Akinori turned around again.

“Go home and get some rest, kid.”

 

Once he was back in his home, Akaashi changed his clothes and made himself some tea before he lay down on his futon, curling up under the warm and soft blanket.

He had been lucky that Akinori had walked him back that early, since everyone in the village had been asleep when he sneaked back home, because he surely didn't know how to face them. Any of them. Even though he knew that he had to soon enough.  
A sigh left his lips when he closed his eyes and curled up even more.

But first he should listen to the fox spirit and get some rest.

 

With that, he dozed off into a dreamless sleep.


	5. Everybody wants to be a Cat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you may notice that I switched the name from _Bokuto_ to _Koutarou_ since I called the other spirits by their first names, too. (I also edited the other chapters to fit with this one). I hope this isn't too confusing ouo/  
>  Also since I'm ~~FINALLY~~ free from exams and reports, I'll try to update more frequently.
> 
> But for now,  
> have fun!

He was shivering when he woke up in the middle of the day. His nose was stuffed and his head hurt. When Akaashi rolled onto his back, he moaned in pain. His limbs hurt, even after resting. He knew what that meant.  
  
It took him a while to remember that it had probably been due to him sleeping outside, as well as the rain that had followed, that he had gotten sick.  
  
Akaashi's face scrunched up when he slowly sat up and he put a hand to his head in an attempt to stop the spinning. After a few moments it got less and Akaashi dared to get up. He held onto his furniture as he walked into the kitchen.  
  
When he reached for the bottle with medicine, he had to see that there was nothing left.  
And he hadn't gotten around to make new one, thanks to the merchant not selling him any herbs.  
  
  
A wave of nausea suddenly hit him, leaving Akaashi retching as he sunk to the floor. His legs were shaking after he was done, but he heaved himself up and got an old cloth to wipe away the mess he had made.   
  
Akaashi stumbled back to his futon, when he got suddenly dizzy. He bumped against the table and heard the thump of something falling to the ground. When he blinked at the floor, it was his book, along with the feather he got from Koutarou.  
  
Akaashi put the book back on the table, but kept on holding the feather. He closed his eyes and put the feather to his forehead.   
  
A faint rush of happiness hit him, when he remembered how Koutarou had given it to him.  
  
  
And although he knew better than doing this, Akaashi stumbled out of his house. He ignored the hateful and fearful looks he got from the villagers. He ignored the chills that ran down his spine. Ignored the feeling of weakness in his limbs.  
  
Because he only had one thought in his mind.  
  
  
_Koutarou._ _  
  
_  
Akaashi couldn't even exactly recall when he had entered the forest. But now he was there, tripping over twigs and piles of leafs lying on the ground. He didn't even know how he planned on finding him. He just knew that he had to.  
  
The feather pressed tightly to his chest, Akaashi wandered through the forest, looking up into the trees as he was hoping to find him there, maybe.  
  
  
Like this, he didn't have enough time to react when he tripped and fell. His body hit the ground with a thump, leaving it hurting even more than it already did.  
  
Akaashi wanted to get up and continue his search for Koutarou. But his body wouldn't let him.  
His arms and legs felt weak, so weak.  
  
The feather still pressed to his chest, Akaashi closed his eyes and let sleep claim him.

  
–

  
Cold.  
He was so cold.  
Akaashi curled up in himself and yet he was still shivering.  
  
  
Where was he?  
  
He cracked an eye open and saw someone leaning over him.  
  
His mother?  
  
A soft smile found it's way on his lips.  
So she was still here, looking after him when he was sick.   
  
It was a comforting thought.  
  
  
Akaashi felt himself being lifted up and he curled himself into the chest of the one holding him.  
Warm… so warm…  
  
“Mo...ther...”  
  
He passed out again.  
  
  
Everything was in a haze when he woke up the next few times. He remembered that someone was there, taking care of him. He remembered that he felt so cold when he woke up one time that his teeth clattered, and the next time he felt warm and sheltered.   
  
He remembered hearing voices, but not being able to make out their voices. Another time there was silence.  
  
But where he was or who was taking care of him, that he didn't know.  
  
Not until…  
  
  
“Hey, are you awake?”  
  
Akaashi blinked tiredly and moved his head to face the way the voice was coming from. Standing there was a rather short man with his hand on his hip. He had light brown hair and his voice was pleasant to listen to, Akaashi thought with a feverish mind.  
  
He wanted to reply to him that yes, he was indeed awake, but only small hum left his lips.  
  
“You're still sick, so you should get some more rest.”  
  
Akaashi cleared his throat.  
  
“Okay,” he rasped out.  
  
But despite his words, he couldn't fall back asleep, so he watched the other man, who sat down on the ground and let something onto his lap. A cat?  
  
“What's your name,” Akaashi managed to ask after trying for the third time.  
  
The man looked up to him.  
“Still awake? My name is Morisuke.”  
  
Akaashi blinked. He didn't ask for his.  
“I'm Akaashi.”  
  
“I know.”  
  
When Akaashi looked at him confused, Morisuke broke into laughter.  
“I think by now everyone in this forest knows who you are. I mean, not only did Koutarou help you leave the forest, no. You visited the foxes, met Kiyoko-sama, and got approved by her. That's quite something. Especially for a human.”  
  
“Oh.”  
  
Akaashi watched as Morisuke scratched the cat in his lap behind its ears.  
“Why did you come back into the forest?”  
  
Something clenched in his chest as he faintly remembered that he had wanted to see Koutarou.  
“I felt like I had to.”  
  
Suddenly he shot up from where he was lying. The world started to spin around him from getting up this fast, but he couldn't care about that now.  
“The feather! Where is my feather?”  
  
Apparently Morisuke had stood up and rushed to his side, because suddenly he was grabbing Akaashi's shoulders, holding him back from getting up further.  
“Lie down again! I took the feather with me but I put her away so that the cats won't play with her.”  
  
“So the feather is fine.” Akaashi blinked at Morisuke and saw him nod.  
  
“It's fine.”  
  
With a sigh, he let himself be pushed back down. His feather was fine. So he would be fine, too.  
He heard Morisuke say something, but before he could ask him to repeat what he had said, he fell asleep.  
  
  
Quiet whispers woke him. He blinked and the first thing he noticed is that he felt much better than before.  
When he turned his head, he saw Morisuke's back. He was crouching on the floor.  
  
Did he feel sick?  
  
Akaashi sat up.  
“Is everything okay?”  
  
Morisuke's head whipped towards him as he got up.  
“Sure. So you're awake? How do you feel?”  
  
Akaashi took a deep breath.  
“Better.”  
  
“I guessed. Your fever went down last night.”  
  
What?  
“What do you mean, ''last night''? How long am I here already?”  
  
Morisuke shrugged.  
“Some days? I don't know, I don't count them. Spirits don't really care about time, you know.”  
  
Akaashi stared at him.  
“You are a spirit?”  
  
Morisuke's confused expression turned into a smirk.  
“Why, do I look human to you?”  
  
He did, Akaashi had to admit. But the glint in Morisuke's eyes made him reconsider.  
“Well, I guess you're not.”  
  
  
Morisuke suddenly leapt forward and Akaashi, closing his eyes, turned away as he was afraid of Morisuke crashing into him. Yet it didn't happen. Instead, when he opened his eyes, he found a cat sitting in his lap.  
  
“This is my true form,” the cat said in Morisuke's voice.  
  
“You're.. a cat spirit.”  
  
“As you can see.”  
  
“And I guess you're gonna say that I can trust you because you know Koutarou?”  
  
Morisuke laughed.  
“Is that what the foxes have told you? No. You can trust me because I nursed you back to health when instead I could've just let you die there in the forest.”  
  
“That's.. an argument. Thank you for that.”  
  
Morisuke moved his tail before he started to lick his paw.  
“You know, I wondered about a thing, though. Why is it that even the less powerful spirits have taken a liking in you? What's so special about you?”  
  
When Akaashi looked at him confused, Morisuke explained.  
“I know that Koutarou is an idiot who does things impulsively sometimes. And I also know that the foxes trust his judgements enough to follow his example. But when I found you passed out in the forest, there were several spirits around you, spirits which are so much weaker and could be easily defeated, even if they were in a group. And yet they stayed with you. Even tried to protect you. You, a human, who clearly stands out in our forest and attracts stronger spirits. So, why?”  
  
Morisuke's brown eyes stared into his and Akaashi somehow felt exposed to him.   
“I.. don't know?”  
  
It was more of a question than an answer, so he cleared his throat and tried again.  
“I don't know. All I know is that I've been told that spirits are all plain evil and kill every human they meet. And yet I'm still here, after meeting an owl spirit, a whole gang of fox spirits, a fox goddess and a cat spirit. And apparently some smaller spirits.”  
  
Morisuke suddenly got angry at his words.  
“Don't let that fool you, human. Not all spirits are like this. And you'll learn that soon enough, if you keep coming back to where you're not supposed to be.”  
  
Akaashi knew he should be affected, but he couldn't help himself but just shrug at it.  
  
Either he would risk meeting evil spirits, or he would have to stay with the people in the village, which was a risk in itself.  
He would always choose the lesser risk.  
  
And so he knew that, if he felt like it was needed, he'd find himself in the forest tomorrow as well.  
  
  
Akaashi quietly watched Morisuke and the other cat spirits whenever they came to visit him. The other spirits seemed a bit wary of him so they didn't come too close to him. It was when he watched a grey cat that a question popped into his head.  
  
“Say, Morisuke” he addressed him quietly, “how come that I haven't seen the other cat spirits in their other form? I mean, from what I've seen at the foxes' place, I think it would be similar.”  
  
The cat spirit shrugged.  
“I don't know. They're probably not comfortable enough around you yet. Or they just prefer to stay in their original form. I'm the only one here who prefers to stay in this form most of the time. Well, not completely. There's me and Tetsurou.”  
  
Akaashi tilted his head.  
“Tetsurou?”  
  
“You'll meet him later. He'll probably come back in a few. And he's a really close friend to Koutarou.”  
  
As if on cue, they started to hear greetings coming from the spirits outside, and an enthusiastic voice greeting them back.  
  
“That's him,” Morisuke sighed and turned towards the entrance.  
  
  
When Tetsurou entered, he did so with a cheery smile on his face.  
  
“Hey, Morisuke. Stop sleeping! It's time to rise and shine! I need your-”  
  
Tetsurou stopped midsentence when he saw Akaashi. His eyes wandered to Morisuke, who seemed undazed, and back to Akaashi.  
  
“And who are yo- NO! Wait! I know.” Tetsurou smirked. “You're Akaashi, right.”  
  
Akaashi nodded.  
  
“It's about time that I finally meet you!”   
Tetsurou walked over and crouched down next to him. He stared right into Akaashi's eyes.  
“I'm Tetsurou. A cat spirit.”  
  
“Uhm...”  
  
“You can talk. I won't bite.”  
  
“Well… your arm. It's bleeding.”  
  
“Oh. Right.”  
Tetsurou got up and turned to Morisuke.  
  
“I need your help with this.”  
Morisuke sighed and began to work.  
  
“I'm not even going to ask how this happened again.”  
Tetsurou rubbed the back of his head with his good arm but didn't offer an explanation.  
  
  
From where he sat, Akaashi had good sight of the two cat spirits. He watched them for a while, before he decided to ask about the difference he had noticed.  
  
“Can I ask you something?”  
  
“Sure,” Morisuke replied as he stitched up the gash on Tetsurou's arm.  
  
“How come that you have no ears and tail in this form, but Tetsurou does?”  
  
Tetsurou laughed. “For a human, you're good at observing, Akaashi. Morisuke is special. He's in better control of his shifting than most of us spirits. Even powerful spirits like the eagles or Koutarou can't control their shifting like that.”  
  
“Wait, so Koutarou is.. a really powerful spirit?”  
  
Since Morisuke was finished stitching him up, Tetsurou turned towards him.  
  
“You didn't know? You should be grateful that you're still alive. Koutarou is actually one of the strongest and most powerful spirits in our forest. He could've killed you in a matter of seconds.”  
  
  
Akaashi could hear Tetsurou's words ringing in his ears even after he went home. Tetsurou had walked with him, saying he had some business to attend in that direction anyway. He had promised Morisuke that he would take his time to rest properly, or else, so Morisuke threatened, he'd send an entire army of cat spirits to _make_ him rest. Akaashi didn't doubt that and went to lie down right after he had made himself some tea. Tea counted as getting rest, too, right? Rest for his soul.  
The last thing he needed was an army of spirits emerging from the forest to take care of him.   
  
Talking about spirits...  
  
So Koutarou, the first spirit he encountered, was actually one of the strongest of the entire forest. And he had given him an owl feather. A light smile found its way on Akaashi's lips.  
  
On their way back to the village, Akaashi had pressed the feather tightly against himself, checking every few steps that it was still in his hands. When Tetsurou had asked him about it, Akaashi vaguely replied that it had been a gift to him. He didn't say that it was a gift from Koutarou, but if he understood that smirk on Tetsurou's face in the right way, he knew about it anyway.  
  
Akaashi had also asked Tetsurou about his relationship with Koutarou. He was a little surprised about that question, so Akaashi explained that he talked about Koutarou in a really familiar manner. Tetsurou had whistled before he explained that they'd been something humans would call friends since after their fight when they had first met.   
  
  
Akaashi finished his tea and thought about picking up his book – when he suddenly heard a knock on his door. At first he thought that maybe he had imagined but. He listened into the silence, slowly starting to relax again, when he heard the knock again. But the blood froze in his veins as he realized that it could only be a villager.  
  
  
He took a deep breath and walked towards his door.


	6. A Second Encounter

Akaashi took a deep breath before he opened the door. He blinked a few times. Looked left. Looked right. There was no one there.  
He took a step outside – and was prompty hit in the face by foul fish innards.  
  
He heard feet on the path, quickly running away. Judged by the sound, it were probably children. Akaashi stood in his door for a few seconds, a little shell shocked over what just had happened. When he wiped the innards off his face, he could see that he had been right and a few children were in the distance, still running, as if he was going to run after them, or worse, do something to them if they didn't get away quick enough. Akaashi sighed when he walked back in and closed the door, locking it. He washed his face before he lay back down again. He couldn't help but feeling like there was something pressing on his chest.   
He should be used to it by now, he thought when the tears threatened to fall from his eyes. He quickly wiped them away and curled up under his blanket.   
  
One day, they would stop.  
  
One day, they would finally leave him be.  
  
  
When he walked into the forest for the next time, it had nothing to do with the villagers. At least that was what he was trying to convince himself of. He was in the forest because he felt good here. Not because he feared of whatever those villagers would come up with next. He was there because he wanted to, not to get out of a reaching distance from them.  
  
With a sigh, he sat down at his spot at the river. He dipped his naked feet into the cold water and sighed contently. He shouldn't, probably. And in his mind he could hear a voice, which suspiciously sounded like Morisuke, scream at him to take his feet out of the river. But he couldn't bring himself to care. Not when it was this warm and his feet felt like they were burning.  
  
Akaashi took a deep breath and leaned back. Birds were chirping somewhere in the trees, creating melodies so beautiful that no human would ever be able to create something that was as remotely perfect as this.  
  
He felt like he was about to doze off when he heard leaves rustling. Akaashi turned around, eyeing his surroundings warily. But there was no one there. He turned back and a scream left his lips when he suddenly looked into someone's face. Out of shock, he punched them in their face.  
  
“OUCH!”  
  
Akaashi's eyes widened. “Koutarou?” Sudden fear gripped his heart when he realized that he had just punched one of the most powerful spirits in the forest. In the nose.  
  
“I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to punch you. You just.. surprised me.”  
  
To Akaashi's confusion though, Koutarou just started to laugh. “It's fine. I'm a spirit, it didn't really hurt that much,” he said as he waved it off.  
  
“So, what are you doing here?”  
  
Akaashi sighed. “I felt like being alone for a bit.”  
  
“You can be alone with me!” Koutarou suggested.  
  
“That.. wouldn't be exactly alone anymore.” But when he saw Koutarou's dejected expression, he complied. “But I guess some company would be nice, after all.”  
  
  
They just sat there in silence. Akaashi's feet were still dipped into the water and Koutarou examined the feathers of his right wing.  
  
“Hey hey hey, Akaashi?” the spirit broke the silence.  
  
“What is it?”  
  
“Would you like to see the forest?”  
  
Akaashi turned towards him, a confused expression on his face, “But I'm already seeing it?”  
  
“No, you're not.” Koutarou got up and reached out to Akaashi.  
  
“Whatever you're planning, I don't think this is really a good idea.”  
  
Koutarou grinned at him. “I'm not planning anything. I'm just going to show you my home.”  
  
When Akaashi sighed and took Koutarou's hand, the spirit heaved him up. Before even another sound could leave Akaashi's mouth, Koutarou had already slung an arm around Akaashi's waist and pushed himself off the ground into the air.  
  
  
The air around them changed. It became a little colder the higher Koutarou flew into the air. It took Akaashi a while until he fully realized that he was _flying_ and there was no ground beneath his feet and all that kept him from falling was Koutarou. A scream left his mouth as he clung to Koutarou. The spirit grinned at him.  
  
“You don't have to be afraid. I won't drop you.”  
  
“You don't know that!” Akaashi screamed back at him.  
  
But Koutarou just laughed.  
  
Their first stop was in a tree not that far away. When they landed, Koutarou put a finger to Akaashi's mouth so that he would stay silent. And after some squinting he realized why.  
  
“Are those-?”  
  
“Shhh, you'll scare them if you're being too loud.”  
  
There they were again. Those baby owls from the first time when he had met Koutarou. They had become quite big, Akaashi noticed. When one of the owls spotted Koutarou, it let out a hoot before it jumped out of its lair. Koutarou extended the arm that wasn't slung around Akaashi and let the owl hop on it.  
  
“She says that she remembers you,” Koutarou says quietly and lifted the arm with the owl so Akaashi could pet her.   
  
“She has become quite a beauty,” Akaashi said smiling as he put a hand on her head. Her feathers were smooth, just like he remembered them. At his words, the owl fluffed up a bit. Koutarou grinned.  
  
“My, my. Are you trying to impress him? You have taken quite a liking to that human, don't you?”  
  
Akaashi watched in horror as the owl just picked at Koutarou's arm several times, drawing blood. And yet the spirit didn't even as much as flinch.  
  
“Jeez, so sensitive.”  
  
“Maybe you shouldn't make fun of her feelings then,” Akaashi said quietly. The owl fluffed up again.  
  
“Of course you agree with him,” Koutarou said before he turned to Akaashi. “And you. I thought you would be on my side!”  
  
Akaashi opened his mouth, thinking that he somehow had insulted the spirit with his words, but then Koutarou laughed. “No need to look like that! You should say goodbye though, so I can show you the rest of the forest.”  
  
Akaashi petted the owl a bit. And in a moment of braveness, he leant down and pressed a short kiss on the owl's head. The owl let out a hoot.  
  
“Aww, you've embarrassed her. Ouch, why did you pick me again?”  
  
“Maybe because of your words?” Akaashi offered.  
  
“Akaashi!” The way Koutarou pronounced his name made him shiver. In a good way. “Can't you be on my side for once?”  
  
“I'm sorry, I guess I have a preference here.”  
  
“Akaashi!!!”  
  
Akaashi couldn't help himself but smile.  
  
  
When Koutarou took off for another flight, Akaashi was more prepared for it. He didn't scream, but he still clung to Koutarou tightly.  
  
“Hey hey, look,” the owl spirit suddenly said and pointed to something on the ground. Akaashi turned his head, but everything was so small, so far away.  
  
“What is that?”  
  
“Spirits.”  
  
When Koutarou felt Akaashi's grip tighten a bit he started to laugh. “Don't worry. As long as you're with me, no one will hurt you.”  
  
“Then what if you decide to abandon me?”  
  
Koutarou pulled him closer. “That won't happen.”  
  
For some reason, Akaashi felt like he was saying the truth. In Koutarou's arms, he felt safe.  
  
  
“Hey Akaashi,” Koutarou said after a while. The tone in his voice gave away that he was grinning.  
“Now that we've seen some baby animals and some spirits, how about some baby spirits?”  
  
Akaashi's eyes widened.  
  
“I guess I have to show you now!”  
  
  
It was quite a long flight, compared to the others. But Akaashi was less scared about it now. He still held onto Koutarou tightly, but was getting braver about looking around and taking the sight in. It was simply amazing. The sun was shining so brightly over the trees, warming Akaashi's face. And from above, Akaashi was finally able to see just how big the forest really was.  
  
“I had no idea,” he muttered quietly.  
  
“About what?” Koutarou asked him.  
  
“That the forest was this...”  
  
“..big?” Koutarou offered.  
  
“..beautiful,” Akaashi finally said, leaving Koutarou blinking at him. It took him a few seconds to catch himself.  
  
“It is. It really is.”  
  
  
They landed on the ground after some time. It was bright in this part of the forest, brighter than the other places he had been in before.  
  
“Say,” he spoke to Koutarou. “How come that this part of the forest is brighter than the rest?”  
  
“What do you mean?” Koutarou cocked his head.  
  
“Let's take the river where I met you for example. It's really dark there? I could barely see your wings back then.”  
  
Koutarou started grinning.  
“They're amazing, right? Well, I think it was some of the gods' doing. Something about scaring the humans to keep them out. It worked. Well, at least until you appeared.”  
  
“I see. So am I the first human to-”  
  
The sudden noise made by Koutarou startled him. He turned towards him, and saw the spirit waving his hand at him to come over. He did. When he finally got to Koutarou's side, Akaashi caught sight of what Koutarou wanted to show him – and inhaled sharply.  
  
“A-are those-?”  
  
“Baby spirits. I think they're tree spirits.”  
  
“They're so.. so… so _small._ ”  
  
Koutarou grinned at him. “They won't grow much either. Like, they'll stay almost as small as they are now.”  
  
“How is that even possible?”  
  
“There are lots of things that are possible that you humans have no idea of.”  
  
Akaashi snapped his head towards Koutarou. “Can you teach me about those things? Please, I really want to know.”  
  
The way Akaashi's eyes shone in the sunlight left the spirit a little dazed. “Well, if you really want that. I guess I can teach you then.”  
  
  
They were on their way home when Akaashi turned to him.  
“Koutarou. If it's not too much to ask of you, there's one other place I want to see.”  
  
The spirit raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”  
  
“I'd…,” Akaashi took a deep breath. “I'd really like to see where you live.”  
  
“Why?” Koutarou immediately shot back.  
  
“I've seen where the fox spirits live. I've seen where the cat spirits live. Now I'm curious about you.”   
  
“Ah, right. Tetsurou told me about your encounter. Well, I guess it should be okay. After all you seem to really appreciate the beauty of this forest.”  
  
Koutarou held onto Akaashi a little tighter before he started flying faster.  
The feeling of air tousling his hair and Koutarou's arms around him, holding him tightly, made Akaashi feel like he was in the right place.  
  
A laugh bubbled up from his chest. And when Koutarou joined his laughter he knew for real, that yes, he was definitely where he belonged to.  
  
  
Akaashi had closed his eyes for a while, feeling a little tired. So when Koutarou finally pointed at something in the distance, he was a little sleepy.  
  
“This is where I live.”  
  
Akaashi yawned and followed the direction Koutarou's finger pointed at.  
  
There was a single big tree. It was taller than the rest of them. But it was not the only reason it stood out. Because while every tree around that one was full of them, this particular tree had no leaves at all. Instead there was a nest located right at the top of that tree. Only when Koutarou landed and put Akaashi down, the latter realized just how big it was. The two of them fit on there comfortably, even though neither of them was really small.  
  
“Before you ask,” Koutarou said, “it wasn't me who built this. I just found it after it was abandoned and ever since it's been mine.”  
  
Akaashi looked closer at the nest. There were some bones as well as some fur in there. And many _many_ feathers. The human leant down and picked one of them up. It was a big and quite long, grey feather. And Akaashi had to admit that it was even more beautiful than the one he had at home.  
  
“Is that yours?” he asked Koutarou.  
  
“Hm? Oh the feather. Well, I guess it is.”  
  
“It's beautiful.”  
  
Koutarou practically beamed at him. “You can have it, if you want.”  
  
Akaashi's head snapped to Koutarou. “What? Really?”  
  
“It's not like I need it anymore. Plus, I got lots of them anyway. So yes, you can have it.”  
  
Akaashi smiled as he pressed the feather against his chest. “Thank you, Koutarou.”  
  
Koutarou grinned as he bowed to pick up some smaller feathers. He chose carefully, as to only pick the most beautiful ones, and then stepped in front of Akaashi.  
  
“Don't move,” he said quietly and started to put the feathers into Akaashi's hair.  
When he was done, he took a step back.  
“They suit you so well. I wish you could see yourself. You might as well be an owl prince, Akaashi.”  
  
“I am no prince, though.”  
  
“But you look like one!”  
  
Akaashi sighed and decided to let him be. He averted his eyes from Koutarou – and noticed something.  
  
His mouth dropped open, and despite him wanting to say something, no sound left his lips. Akaashi was left literally speechless, when he saw the sun setting behind the horizont. The sky looked like it had been painted in a warm orange which made Akaashi shiver, despite the warmth.  
  
“This is gorgeous,” he whispered.  
  
Koutarou blinked confused before he followed his gaze. “Oh, the sunset. It is. And if I'm honest this view is also part of why I chose this place.”  
  
They stood there in silence, just watching the sunset. Their shoulders were touching and Akaashi found himself leaning towards the owl spirit more than once. He was just so tired.  
  
  
When he yawned again, Koutarou wrapped an arm around him and in one swift movement picked him up. “Time to get you back, huh?”  
  
Akaashi hummed in response and this time, when Koutarou pushed himself off, he didn't as much as flinch.  
  
  
They landed at the same spot Koutarou had led him to when they had first met. For Akaashi's taste that flight had been way too fast. He wouldn't have protested if it had taken a little longer.  
Koutarou put him down and let go of him. Akaashi immediately missed the warmth of his body.  
  
“Well, Goodbye Akaashi.”  
  
“Goodbye, Koutarou. And thank you. It was a lot of fun, to be alone, but with you.”  
  
When Koutarou grinned at him, Akaashi reciprocated with a smile.  
  
  
He stood there and watched as the owl spirit took off again and kept watching until he was out of sight. With a sigh he turned around and walked back home.  
  
  
  
_Was it really his home?_


	7. Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, sorry for the long wait.  
> My motivation kinda went down and on top some shit happened in rl OTL  
> But here it is, Chapter 7  
> Enjoy ✨

Was it really his home?  
  
  
He asked himself this question again when he stepped inside his house. Because inside, all his belongings were lying on the ground, most of them torn, broken. Akaashi blinked and rubbed his eyes, but when he looked again, it was still the same mess.  
  
Books, plates, pots… it looked like a taifun had been in here.  
  
And for the first time ever since that child died after they'd hurt Akaashi's feelings, Akaashi didn't get upset over it. No. He got absolutlely _furious_.  
  
He was boiling in anger.  
  
Yes, they didn't like him, and yes, they thought he was an evil spirit and were afraid of him for some stupid reason. But that still gave them no right to enter his house and... do _this_.  
  
And he decided that he should take action. Confront them.  
  
So without cleaning up, he turned on his heels and headed back to the village.  
  
  
When he stormed into the village, it became quiet.  
  
He took a deep breath before he asked calmly: “Who did that?”  
  
No one said a word. And from the way they averted his eyes he came to realise that they know. They _all_ knew what he was talking about. Akaashi clenched his fists.  
  
“I asked you something. Who of you did that?” he repeated himself, a little angrier this time.  
  
But still, no one answered him.  
  
“Answer me already!” he finally yelled, letting his anger out.  
  
There was a sudden breeze of air blowing through the village and distant thunder that made the people around him flinched away, their eyes full of fear.  
  
Once again he realised that they would never see something else in him than an evil spirit. They would never believe him telling that he was human. So he might as well use that to his advantage.  
  
“I'm gonna leave now. And when I come back I want to find everything back where it was. I want my torn books repaired and my broken plates replaced. If I don't, I'll make sure to find out myself who did that and act accordingly to what they did to me, do you understand?”  
  
The village people were petrified. It was ghostly silent when Akaashi turned on his heel and went back into his house to gather a few belongings and some food, before he went back into the forest.  
  
  
Only when he sat down by the river again he realised what he had just done. He had shown his anger and frustration. He had _threatened_ the villagers. Akaashi leaned back against a rock with a sigh. He couldn't exactly say that he regretted reacting like he did, because he certainly did not. And yet still, it somehow left a bitter taste.  
He pinched the bridge of his nose and decided to use the night to take a walk through the forest. He was too angry to sleep anyways.  
  
  
With quiet steps he explored the forest. It looked completely different than in daylight. Even darker. And yet Akaashi felt like he knew exactly where he had to go to not accidentally run into a tree or bush. The air smelled fresh, like it usually only smelled like after a heavy rain. He loved it and felt himself calming down gradually. When his stomach growled, he searched for a good place to sit down at and found a log. Akaashi took the food he had taken with him out of the cloth he had put his belongings into and started to eat. Soon when he was full, he leaned back and looked up into the sky. The sight made him feel breathless.  
  
Thousands and thousands of stars littered the dark blue sky. The pale crescent moon dimly shone down right on him, lighting up the pitch black night at least a little. Everything seemed so peaceful, so he decided to make himself comfortable there.  
  
Akaashi left his belongings at the log as he went to grab some sticks and wood to start a small fire. He piled most of the wood up before he set it aflame and left the rest for the next morning.  
  
When he took out the thin blanket he had grabbed at home and folded it, a yawn escaped him. He quickly placed the small pillow and curled up on the ground close enough to the fire to feel its heat. With a content sigh he closed his eyes and soon the warmth from the fire created a cozy feeling, making him even more tired. Before he knew, he dozed off the the sound of burning fire and cracking wood.  
  
  
Loud cracking woke him suddenly in the middle of the night.  
  
Disoriented he looked around as he blinked the sleep from his eyes. The fire had died down almost completely so it couldn't have been that. He tried to figure out what it was but found nothing. But then he heard the sounds getting closer and panic started to settle in his bones.  
  
Akaashi quickly scrambled to his feet, grabbing one of the branches which were meant for another fire. He lit it on the glowing ambers of his fire and tried to light his surroundings in order to find out what was happening.  
  
Left. Right. In front of him. Behind him. Where did the noises come from?  
  
Akaashi held his breath. And yet he still flinched back when a fox jumped into his vision from his left. He gasped when the fox didn't land on its paws but fell to the ground and slithered over it. At first he thought that it might be some foreign fox, since he didn't remember seeing a fox spirit this big, but the colour of the fur looked so familiar….  
  
  
His eyes widened in realization.  
“Akinori, is that you?”  
  
The fox spirit opened his eyes and looked at him.  
“What are you doing here? Run!”  
  
Akaashi was confused.  
“Why should I ru- is that blood? You're hurt!”  
  
The human quickly kneeled down next to Akinori, reaching out for his wounds when he heard another crack behind him. And heavy breathing.  
When he turned around, there was a big silvery wolf standing there. Its angry eyes bore into Akaashi's. The latter quickly got up.  
  
“What have we here? A human? You're hiding behind a creature like that? That's low, even for you, fox.”  
  
Akaashi saw from the corner of his eyes that Akinori tried to get up, but failed.  
  
“Get out of my way, human, or else I'll have to kill you, too.”  
  
“You want to kill him?”  
  
“You heard me,” the wolf growled at him.  
  
“Then I'm afraid I cannot move from here. You'll have to get past me to get to him first.”  
  
The wolf snarled.  
“Are you trying to be brave? I'll kill you before you'll notice that I even moved. Now, get out of my way!”  
  
“Run away, you fool!” he could hear Akinori say. But more than a scolding, it sounded like a weak plea to Akaashi.  
  
“I won't leave you behind.”  
  
“You stupid human!” The wolf spirit looked angry.  
  
“You may call me stupid, but there's a reason you haven't attacked us already, right?”  
  
The wolf spirit growled at him, but gave no answer.  
  
“So I'm right. And I'm guessing it's the fire.”  
  
“You think I'm afraid of fire?” the wolf growled. “I'm a spirit! Don't insult me!”  
The wolf took a few steps forward, even as Akaashi held the burning branch right in front ot him.  
“Now step away from the fox! This time he's mine.”  
  
“I refuse. You won't harm him. Not in my presence.”  
  
The wolf spirit let out another growl as he suddenly turned to Akaashi and raised his paw, ready to strike. But instead, he turned around and scratched the tree next to him.  
  
Akaashi watched the situation in awe, when a sudden idea popped into his head. _Maybe..._  
“I forbid you to harm him. Neither when I'm here, nor when I'm not. And you won't hurt the other foxes either, do you understand?”  
  
The spirit turned back and glared at him.  
“What makes you think I'll listen to you, human?”  
  
“Because you will just do as I say.”  
  
Akaashi knew that he was gambling here. But he had to take the risk. Even if his heart was pounding so fast that he was afraid it would just jump out of his chest.  
The wolf watched him for another while, before he growled in frustration and just left without another word.  
  
Akaashi sighed and turned to Akinori, who was staring at him in awe.  
“How.. how did you do that?”  
  
“I don't know but that's not important right now. Let's tend to your wounds first,” Akaashi said as he crouched down next to Akinori again.  
  
“Just let them be. They'll heal sooner or later,” the fox spirit said.  
  
“Can you get up?”  
  
Akinori shook his head in reply.  
  
“If you shift into your human form, I'll be able to carry you back home.”  
  
The fox spirit sighed.  
  
  
Akinori was heavier than expected. Yet Akaashi kept his word and carried Akinori on his back on their way to the fox's home. They spoke little, only when Akinori gave Akaashi instructions on where to turn.  
Akaashi's few belongings were safely hidden between their bodies, so that Akaashi didn't have to carry them additionally.  
  
The sky became lighter and the sun was about to rise when they finally reached the fox spirit's home.  
Some of the foxes were already up, so they saw them coming closer. They also saw that Akinori was hurt, so it didn't take long until almost ever fox spirit was awake, being worried about their leader.  
  
Apparently one of them had called Taichi, because next thing Akaashi saw was him rushing to his brother's side.  
  
“Akinori,” his usually so calm voice sounded a little panicked, giving away how distressed he was. “What happened?”  
  
The fox spirit put his hand on his younger brother's cheek.  
“I'll tell you later. Don't worry about it now.”  
  
Akinori blinked sleepily at Taichi. His hand fell from Taichi's cheek as his eyes closed shut.  
  
  
Taichi took Akinori from Akaashi and carried him into the cave. The spirit carefully put down his brother and checked on his wounds, growling lowly when he saw how deep they were.  
Meanwhile Akaashi had ripped his blanket into long stripes. He nudged Taichi, who only seemed to notice him now.  
  
“Help me a bit,” Akaashi said calmly to the spirit and Taichi just nodded. He didn't know what Akaashi wanted to do, but he trusted him so he held his brother to make him sit upright like the human had asked him to. It was easier to wrap his wounds with Akaashi's makeshift bandages like this and Taichi watched him the entire time.  
  
Once Akinori was all wrapped up, Taichi put his passed out brother back down and sighed.  
Kenjirou came in running into the cave when Akaashi was about to put his pillow under Akinori's head. The foxes seemed confused about what it was, but when Akaashi quickly explained it to them, they just let him.  
  
Sensing his partner's distress, Kenjirou nudged Taichi before he wrapped his arms around him. Taichi pulled him closer, and Akaashi looked at the now sleeping Akinori to give them some privacy.  
  
  
“Thank you, for bringing him home,” he suddenly heard Taichi say. Akaashi turned to the fox spirits. They were still holding each other.  
  
“I couldn't exactly let him stay there when he was wounded like this. Plus, I didn't want him to stay there where the wolf spirit could easily find and kill him.”  
  
“It was a wolf spirit?” Taichi was suddenly furious. His tail was moving rapidly and he was growling again.  
  
Akaashi nodded hesitantly.  
“Apparently he had hurt Akinori and then chased him until they ran into me. Akinori was unable to get up and move any further though.”  
  
“Wait a second,” Kenjirou interrupted. “How were you able to flee? He was after Akinori to kill him, right? And I doubt you could've outrun him. Especially while carrying Akinori.”  
  
Akaashi nodded.  
“He wanted to kill him. But...”  
  
Akaashi recalled the memories of him standing between the wolf spirit and the fox spirit. He told them about how he had first thought that the fox was afraid of the fire he had made. How the spirit had felt insulted at his assumptions and how Akaashi had finally chased him away with words.  
  
When he was finished, both Taichi and Kenjirou stared at him, like Akinori had done before.  
“You made him leave by just… talking to him?”  
  
Akaashi shrugged.  
“I knew there had to be something that prevented the wolf from just attacking us. At first I just didn't know that it was my talking, apparently. Then I just tried and it worked. At least I think that it was my talking that stopped him.”  
  
The two fox spirits exchanged a glance. Their silent conversation didn't go unnoticed, but Akaashi didn't understand it. And he couldn't bring himself to care, as he was suddenly deadly tired. After all the wolf's attack had woken him from sleep, and carrying Akinori back home had additionally strained him. He yawned again as he let himself sink to the ground and curled up next to the already sleeping fox spirit, where he passed out quickly.  
  
  
When he woke up, it was high noon already. He usually never slept that long, but given the events from last night, he probably should've expected it. What really surprised him though, was the fish that was being prepared outside. Scaled and the intestines taken out. Just how Akaashi had prepared it before. When the foxes spotted him, they were really friendly and led him to the fire place where they told him to take some fish and eat.  
  
Akaashi was confused about their behaviour, so he asked Kenjirou when he joined him at the fire.  
“They're showing gratitude. Taichi had told them what had happened and they're thankful.”  
  
“Even though I'm a human, and they're spirits?”  
  
Kenjirou looked a little offended.  
“We have manners and we know when we're having to show our thanks.”  
  
“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insult you.”  
  
“It's alright. Eat a bit now. I'll take some fish to Taichi. He's still watching his brother.”  
  
Akaashi nodded and took a fish to eat a bit. Only now he noticed how hungry he was.  
He was at his third fish already when Kenjirou came back.  
“When you're finished, could you come into the cave? Akinori woke up and he wants to see you.”  
  
  
When Akaashi came into the cage, Akinori was sitting upright with a little help from his brother.  
  
“Ah, Akaashi, there you are,” he said and the other two fox spirits turned their heads to him.  
“Come, sit with us.”  
  
Akaashi did as he said and sat down next to him.  
  
“First of all, I have to thank you. For staying by my side, protecting me, and even carrying me home. And as much as I do not really like the sound of it, I'm indebt to you.”  
  
His eyes widened.  
“What? Why? That was just-”  
  
“You saved my life, Akaashi.” Akinori looked so calm when he said that, but by the way his tail moved it was clear he didn't feel as calm.  
“That wolf spirit would've killed me.”  
  
Akaashi watched him quietly before he decided to ask.  
“That wolf had said something along the lines that 'this time he's going to kill you' or something. Does that mean you've had fights before?”  
  
“We had,” Akinori nodded.  
  
“Was he the reason you came back limping the last time?”  
  
Akinori stared at him, but then nodded.  
“The wolves have been crossing our borders repeatedly and have hunted in our territory. I've been watching the borders ever since. And when I saw the wolf spirit crossing out border I chased away his prey. Which resulted into him getting angry and attacking me.”  
  
Next to his brother, Taichi was shaking in anger.  
“How dare they..”  
  
“Maybe there's more to it than we actually see right now?”  
  
Taichi's head snapped to him.  
“Are you siding with the wolves now?!”  
  
Akaashi defensively raised his hands, as Akinori slapped the back of his brother's head.  
“I'm not siding with them. What that wolf did was wrong. I'm just saying that _maybe_ there's a reason for that behaviour. You sometimes end up doing wrong things when you're cornered.”  
  
_Like yelling at other villagers when they already think you're an evil spirit.  
  
_ “They've never crossed the border before, right?”  
  
“Not for a long time now,” Akinori confirmed and watched Akaashi for a while.  
  
“So you think that the wolf spirits have a reason for crossing our borders?”  
  
“They might have. You should probably talk to them.”  
  
Taichi sneered.  
“Talk to the wolves. I've never heard something as dumb as this.”  
  
Akinori glared at him to make him shut up and then looked back at Akaashi.  
“If you think that this may solve problems, we should try it. But I want you to be with us when we talk.”  
  
Now it was Akaashi's time to stare at him.  
“What? But I'm just-”  
  
“I don't care. You've managed to fight him off alone with your words. You need to be there. _I_ need you to be there.”  
  
Akaashi sighed, knowing that the fox spirit was right. Maybe he'd be able to help.  
“Fine.”  
  
Akinori nodded at him and then leaned back against Taichi with a sigh he blinked tiredly.  
“You should get some rest,” the younger brother suggested.  
  
“Mhm. Tell Kuguri to walk Akaashi home. I don't want him to run into any other spirits or get lost in the forest. Though I'm guessing that the former should be less of a problem for him,” Akinori grinned tiredly.  
  
  
Akaashi was about to say goodbye when a loud crash, followed by a louder voice interrupted him.  
“Akinori!”  
  
They all turned their heads towards to voice.  
  
“Akinori, are you okay? I heard you were-” A gasp. “A-Akaashi? What are you doing here?”  
  
“Hello to you, too, Koutarou.”


	8. Wolves

“So you were the one who found Akinori when he was chased?”  
  
Akaashi shrugged.  
“It was more like he found me.”  
  
  
After Koutarou had had come over his shock of finding Akaashi with the foxes, he had made sure that Akinori was alright. And when he was convinced that yes, the fox spirit wouldn't just die in front of him, he had said that he'll walk Akaashi out of the forest and had taken him under his wing.  
Quite literally.  
  
  
“But what were you doing here at night in the first place? Shouldn't you be at home?” Koutarou asked him after they sat down at the river.  
  
Akaashi bit his lip and looked away.  
“I didn't want to stay there,” he finally admitted.  
  
Koutarou cocked his head.  
“What? Why not? Aren't humans all about family?”  
  
“I don't have a family. I never knew my father and my mother died when I was twelve.”  
  
“So you live alone?”  
  
“I do.”  
  
“What about the other people?”  
  
Akaashi swallowed.  
“I..”  
He considered lying to him, but when he saw Koutarou's big curious eyes he just couldn't.  
“They hate me.”  
  
Koutarou's face scrunched up in confusion.  
“Why? How can someone hate you?”  
  
Akaashi shrugged.  
“They think I'm some kind of evil spirit. Cursing and killing them.”  
  
“Is this some kind of joke?” The spirit asked, but got no reply.  
“This is ridiculous. As if that's all spirits ever do.”  
  
“I gave up trying to convince them a few years ago. They don't believe me anyway.”  
  
Akaashi started telling Koutarou about everything. How things had started and continued from there on. He also told him about how they treated him. Being disrespectful and throwing stones at him. And he talked about what had happened when he had come home last evening. Finding his plates broken and his books torn. His home in a mess.  
  
Koutarou clenched his fists and flapped his wings angrily.  
“I should give them a good lecture.”  
  
But Akaashi put a hand on his arm.  
“I appreciate that, Koutarou, but actually you shouldn't do that. Yes, they do me wrong, but they're still humans like me.”  
  
“That's not true, you're much better than them. You don't deserve that.”  
  
“Still. Promise me that you won't ever attack them. Or 'lecture' them, as you had said.” He stared at the owl spirit, his eyes determined.  
  
“Fine. As long as you don't tell me to do something about it, I won't. I promise.”  
  
“Thank you, Koutarou.”  
  
Koutarou sighed and spread his right wing over Akaashi's shoulder to cover him with it.  
“Is that why you got angry when we first met?” the owl spirit asked quietly.  
  
Akaashi recalled the memory and nodded.  
“I was just fed up. I have always associated spirits with something bad, coming from the stories we all got told when we were children. And then the villagers called me that, too and treated me badly for it. So I just snapped, I guess.”  
  
“Have your views changed now? About the spirits.”  
  
A tiny smile stretched on Akaashi's lips.  
“They have. I've come to learn that spirits are actually really amazing.”  
  
  
They sat at the river for a while, just enjoying each other's company when Akaashi suddenly sighed.  
  
“What's wrong, Akaashi?”  
  
“I don't know. I'm still thinking about the attack. That wolf spirit was close to attacking us. But he didn't. I just? I can't believe talking to him and telling him that he simply _can't_ attack us worked.”  
  
Akaashi looked up when he heard Koutarou chuckle.  
“What's so funny about that?”  
  
“I forgot that you humans develop strange talents.”  
  
Akaashi cocked his head. “What are you talking about?”  
  
“When we were out yesterday and I gave you my feather, I also gave you my blessing.”  
  
“Your blessing?”  
  
“I'm protecting you. Other spirits can feel my presence around you.”  
  
“So… you kind of.. marked me?”  
  
“I guess you could say it like that. And sometimes it leads to humans developing a strength of their own. For you it's your voice apparently.” The owl spirit smiled at him.  
  
“I see. That would make sense.” Akaashi fiddled with his fingers.  
“Have you ever given your blessing to someone before?” For some reason Akaashi felt nervous about Koutarou's answer. What if he had given it to many people? He seemed like being kind enough to do that. But for some selfish reason, he didn't want that. Akaashi wanted to be special.  
  
“I have. Just one time though. It was a child, a small boy, who got lost in the woods. Yet when I appeared, he wasn't scared or anything. No, he was totally in awe and kept asking me things the entire time.” Koutarou looked at the ground and smiled fondly. It seemed to be a dear memory to him.  
“He was really excited and kept asking if he could fly with me. I denied it, of course. He was just a child. But he came back every day from then on, always asking me the same question. 'Can I fly with you?' He really was something.”  
  
“What happened then?” Akaashi asked him quietly, not wanting to interrupt his thoughts.  
Koutarou shrugged.  
  
“I don't really know. He stopped coming soon after and I never found out what had happened to him.” The spirit smiled a bit, but Akaashi could see the masked sadness behind it. But there was something else. Something Akaashi knew himself all too well.  
  
Loneliness.  
  
Akaashi put his hand on Koutarou's hand and watched as the spirit intertwined their fingers. The spirit's hand was bigger than Akaashi's and despite of what he had thought, his skin was soft and smooth. It was a nice feeling. Feeling the cozy warmth of another living being was just so soothing and left Akaashi sighing contently.  
Even though Akaashi didn't say anything, he could feel that Koutarou knew what he had wanted to say to him.  
  
_I won't_ _ever leave you like that._  
  
  
After some time had passed and it started to get dark, Akaashi got up and let go of the spirit's hand.  
“I think I should go back.”  
  
He dreaded it already, knowing there was no one at home waiting for him. It would be cold and mostly, he would be alone again, but Koutarou nodded and got up as well. Akaashi collected his things and was ready to go when the owl spirit suddenly grabbed his arm.  
  
“You know, Akaashi, if you ever need me, for any reason, just call my name. I'll hear you. And I'll come.”  
  
Akaashi's eyes widened in surprised, but then his look turned soft.  
“I will do so. Thank you, Koutarou.”  
  
  
When Akaashi entered his home, he found it completely clean. Not a sign of the mess that had been there before. His books were neatly standing in the shelves, the broken shards had been collected or swept away, and the plates replaced. Akaashi sunk onto his futon and allowed himself to rest ten, if not twenty minutes before he got up and started to prepare dinner.  
  
After he was full, he lay down and picked up his book which he had abandoned long enough. His face scrunched up a bit when he saw that it had been damaged, too. Sure they had tried to repair it, but it still was in a pretty bad shape. He tried to not let it get at him too much and just concentrate on reading. But his mind kept wandering to the spirits in the forest.  
  
He wondered how Akinori was doing and suddenly remembered that he had forgotten his pillow there.  
He also thought about the wolf spirit and how keen it had been on killing Akinori. He shuddered when he thought about what could have happened if he hadn't been so lucky to have been blessed by Koutarou. If the wolf spirit didn't listen to him. Neither Akinori nor him would be alive by now.  
But now the fox spirit expected him to attend a meeting with the wolf spirit- no, the wolf _spirits_.  
There would be more than just one of them. After all wolves lived in a pack.  
  
  
The next morning Akaashi found himself on the way to visit Akinori. He wanted to see how he was doing, and maybe redo his bandages. Especially since the other ones were just makeshift ones. What made him feel uncomfortable was that the entire way through the forest he felt watched. Yet whenever he turned around, there was no one there.  
  
After a while, he stopped with a sigh.  
“Show yourself.”  
  
And they did.  
When Akaashi turned to see who had followed him, he found himself looking at lots of tiny spirits. Rabbit spirits, tree spirits, several kind of bird spirits. They all looked at him with big, curious eyes.  
  
He crouched down and reached out to them.  
“Hello there. I'm Akaashi,” he introduced himself.  
The spirits didn't answer, but one of the bird spirits was brave enough to hop into his palm and gently pick at his skin.  
  
Soon enough he found himself covered in spirits, all of them clinging to him, nuzzling him, cuddling up to him.  
  
Akaashi smiled softly.  
“I'd love to stay with all of you,” he said after a while, “but I'm afraid I have to go now. I want to see how Akinori is doing, alright? I'll visit you later again.”  
  
Some spirits seemed like they didn't want to get up, but they let him and when he waved at them and left, they all watched and waited until he was completely gone.  
  
  
Once he was there, the foxes greeted him friendly. Akaashi greeted them back and went into the cave, where he found Akinori awake. He was talking to a fox he didn't know yet. Akinori's face lit up when he saw him and he smiled. The fox spirit was still in his human form and Akaashi concluded that he didn't change since Akaashi told him to shift.  
  
“Akaashi, you're back so early.”  
  
“Hello Akinori. I wanted to see how you're doing.”  
  
“Fine.” He turned to the fox spirit by his side. “Meet Kuguri. He's still a young spirit, but already a very good fighter.”  
  
Kuguri nodded at him and Akaashi reciprocated the gesture. After that, the young fox spirit left.  
  
“I hope I didn't interrupt anything?”  
  
Akinori waved his hand.  
“Not really.”  
  
He watched Akaashi, who came closer and sat down next to him.  
“I also came to take a look at your wounds, if you allow me.”  
  
He saw the hesitation in the fox spirit's movements. Then a sigh.  
“Fine. You won't give up before I agree anyways, right?”  
  
Akaashi just smiled at him.  
  
  
He left to get some water and when he came back, Akaashi started undoing the bandages. Akinori hissed a few times, when the bandage would stick to his skin where it had been soaked in blood and dried, so Akaashi gently applied some water so it would come off easier.  
Once that was done, he dipped a cloth he had taken with him in the cold water and started to wash off the dried blood from Akinori's skin. It took him a while, given by how much he had bled and also because he didn't want to hurt him or reopen any wounds. He took a closer look at them after he was done. Some of them looked deep and if they've just stopped to bleed, but others looked a bit better already.  
  
Akaashi took the new bandages he had brought and wrapped them around Akinori's wounds. He put the old one into the water and started to wash the blood out.  
  
“Thank you, Akaashi,” he suddenly heard Akinori say.  
  
Akaashi smiled.  
“You're welcome.”  
  
  
Akinori started to get better the next days and once he was feeling good enough again to walk around, he spoke to Akaashi.  
“You're still coming with us when we go to talk to the wolf spirits, right?”  
  
Akaashi swallowed and nodded.  
“I am.”  
  
“Good. I'd like to do that as quickly as possible. Taichi has reported that they've been in our territory a few more times since they've attacked me.”  
  
“So when?”  
  
“Tomorrow.”  
  
Akaashi's hands got clammy suddenly, but he nodded anyway.  
“Fine. I'll be here.”  
  
  
He couldn't sleep.  
  
Akaashi lay on his futon and kept tossing and turning around. To say he was worried and afraid was an understatement.  
  
Sure, he had been able to make the wolf spirit leave, thanks to Koutarou's blessing. But he couldn't be sure if he would manage that a second time if it came to it. The fox spirits trusted him. Believed in him. What if he failed them? What if the wolves attacked them? Not only would the foxes probably get hurt, but they'd also come to hate him. And they would tell Koutarou, who would come to hate him, too. He liked him, probably, but if he'd hurt his friends, Akaashi wasn't too sure if he'd ever forgive him. And then he would have no where to go once again.  
  
Akaashi squeezed his eyes shut and placed a hand over his rapidly beating heart.  
  
He didn't want to lose this.  
  
He forced himself to take a few deep breaths before he curled up under his blanket.  
  
Tomorrow would be horrible, that much he knew.  
  
  
“Welcome, Akaashi. Are you rea-” Akinori cut himself off and blinked at him. “Are you alright?”  
  
Akaashi was paler than usually, so the dark bags under his eyes stood out even more. He nodded tiredly. “I'm fine. And yes, I'm ready.”  
  
He had ended up getting almost no sleep and was beyond exhausted.  
  
Akinori watched him for a few seconds, his tail moving quickly behind his back, before he sighed.  
“We'll be leaving in a few moments.”  
  
“Okay.”  
  
  
Akaashi had an unwell feeling on their entire way to the wolves. It worsened when he felt the foxes tense up – they were in the territory of the wolves already.  
  
Subconciously he moved closer to Akinori. But whether he stayed by his side in seeking of protection, or to protect, he wouldn't be able to tell.  
  
Akinori threw a glance at him and Akaashi realised that he was fiddling with his hands again.  
“Are you nervous?” the spirit asked him quietly. He nodded.  
  
“A bit,” he admitted, even though he was a lot more nervous than just 'a bit'.  
  
“Everything will go well. I trust in your abilities,” the fox spirit said and sounded certain about it.  
If only he could share that certainty.  
  
  
Akaashi started to question Akinori about their relation with the wolf spirits, and he learnt that it was only recently that they started to cross their borders to hunt. And apparently, they had been peaceful before. Sure there had been fights every once in a while, but nothing like the attack on Akinori.  
  
The foxes accompanying them suddenly stopped, and so did Akaashi, even though he didn't know why – at first.  
  
But soon, wolves appeared from everywhere.  
“You're long in our territory,” one of them growled. But Akinori stayed calm.  
  
“I came to talk to your alpha.”  
  
“Talk. As if,” the wolf snarled. “Then why did you bring that many foxes with you?”  
  
“I came to talk,” he replied, “but I'm not suicidal. They're here for my protection.”  
  
“Then what about that scrawny human? Is he an offering?”  
  
Suddenly all eyes were on Akaashi. He swallowed.  
  
“He came as a negotiator.”  
  
The wolves howled in laughter, but soon they came to realise that Akinori really meant what he had said.  
“Fine. Take your little human and follow us. Time to humour our alpha.”  
  
  
Soon a pack of wolves became visible to them. One of the wolves disappeared, probably to tell their alpha about the visitors.  
  
Akaashi didn't feel well, being in the middle of all of this.  
  
Negotiator.  
  
Sure. Then why did he feel more like a prey?  
  
He took a deep breath to steady himself.  
Koutarou had told him to just call him if he ever needed him. He had said that in relation to the villagers, but Akaashi was almost sure that his offer also applied for the forest. At least sixty-seven percent sure.  
  
  
Suddenly the wolf came back and seemed a bit nervous.  
“Follow me.”  
  
The wolf spirit led them to a place a little away from the pack. And when they got closer, they heard voices.  
  
Familiar voices.  
  
  
“You can't keep getting into our territory!”  
  
“Do you even have such a thing as a territory? If you have, I'm surprised that no one has taken it from you until now.”  
  
A hiss.  
  
“Stay calm.”  
  
“How can I be calm when he belittles us?”  
  
“I know, but if you attack him, it won't help us either.”  
  
“Are you two done?”  
  
“We're not! The fact is still, that you get into our territory and I won't allow that any longer, do you understand?”  
  
“Or what?”  
  
  
This was when Akinori stepped in.  
“I have a word about that to say as well.”  
  
Heads turned towards them, and Akaashi recognized Morisuke and Tetsurou. The latter held the smaller one back by his shoulder.  
  
His eyes moved from the cat spirits to the wolves, and he recognised him as the wolf spirit which had attacked Akinori.  
  
  
“So it wasn't just our border you crossed to hunt?”  
  
“He hunted in your territory as well?” surprised, Morisuke raised an eyebrow.  
Akinori nodded and the cat spirit turned back to the wolf.  
“Explain yourself.”  
  
“Why should I? So what, if I hunted in your territory. As if you didn't do that before.”  
  
“We didn't!” Morisuke was trembling from anger.  
  
“As if I would believe you.”  
  
“It's not about the others right now,” Akaashi intervened. His heart was hammering in his chest and he really hoped that no one could hear it. All eyes were suddenly on him.  
“Right now, it's about you getting caught crossing different borders several times to hunt.”  
  
The wolf spirit interrupted him with a growl.  
“What are you doing here, human?”  
  
“I brought him with me,” Akinori explained, his eyebrows furrowed.  
“As it seems you can't touch him. So he's here to negotiate. Now let him talk.”  
  
“How can he negotiate when he clearly sides with you? 'It's about you'. It's not.”  
  
“It is.” Akaashi replied. “You could do the same if you ever caught the other spirits doing so, but right now, you were the one who did it, so _you_ have to explain.”  
  
“What's there to explain?”  
  
“Why you crossed the border several times to hunt, for a first? Apparently it only had started recently, if I got that correctly. So why?” Akaashi stepped forward, feeling a bit more confident when the wolf spirit didn't seem to want to get closer to him.  
  
“There is no reason.”  
  
“You lived peacefully with the other spirits before.”  
  
“There is no reason.”  
  
“You respected those borders, as did they.”  
  
“ _There is no reason!_ ” The wolf spirit growled loudly.  
  
For some reason it angered Akaashi.  
“Simply that you keep saying that proves otherwise. There is one, but you don't want to tell it. Because you don't trust the others. Is that right?”  
  
The wolf spirit kept growling lowly and didn't answer.  
  
“So I'm right,” Akaashi concluded.  
  
He got brave and took another step forward.  
“Will you tell me if the other's leave?”  
  
“What?” he heard Akinori, Morisuke and Tetsurou say.  
  
But the wolf just bared his teeth.  
“So you can tell them right after? Do you think I'm dumb, human?”  
  
Akaashi turned around to the other spirits, who were all watching every move of him now.  
“You're all witnesses. You all hear me. I'm not allowed to tell you anything until he gives me his permission. Is that clear?”  
  
Tetsurou was the first one to find his voice.  
“Fine. For my part, I trust you and your judgement, Akaashi.”  
  
Akaashi silently thanked him and looked at Akinori. He didn't seem to like the idea. But then he sighed,  
“Alright. Just one thing.” He stepped forward and glared into the wolf spirit's eyes.  
“If you hurt him, I will personally rip you apart.”  
  
Akaashi frowned at him.  
“I appreciate your concern, Akinori, but stop threatening him. We're trying to solve this, so there's no need to add more tension.”  
  
  
A deep breath, and he followed the alpha.  
  


–

  
  
“You defended me.” The wolf spirit said on their way.  
  
Akaashi shrugged.  
“Akinori said I'm here to negotiate. So I need to stay neutral or else I can't do that.”  
  
He felt the wolf watching him.  
“I need you to swear to me that you won't tell anything.”  
  
The human nodded.  
“You have my word.”  
  
Silence followed, and Akaashi wondered if he should say something else maybe, when the wolf suddenly started to speak.  
“You need to keep it a secret because it makes us vulnerable. Not just me, but us all as a pack.”  
  
Akaashi listened.  
  
“Most of the trees in our territory got sick a while ago. I thought that they'd be able to heal like they always do. But it was a foolish way of thinking.”  
The spirit stopped and looked upon a tree.  
“But the trees being sick was only the beginning. Because the animals started to notice. Birds, rabbits, pigs and deers, they all started to move away. We have nearly no animals left here. And therefore, we have almost no food.”  
  
“So you have to hunt in the other territories to survive,” Akaashi muttered quietly, more to himself.  
The wolf nodded anyway.  
  
“Why didn't you tell the other spirits about it?”  
  
“It's a weakness. And we can manage it on our own. Without the others intervening,” the wolf spirit growled at him.  
  
Akaashi thought about it.  
“To be honest, my first thought to help you was to ask the other spirits if they'd share their territory for the time being, but as I've promised to not tell anything, I think we'll have to find another way.”  
  
The wolf watched him.  
“I have to admit that you're an interesting human. I've never encountered someone like you before.”  
  
Akaashi just smiled.  
  
  
As they slowly went back to the other spirits, Akaashi had made up his mind.  
“I'll try to get some information on what it could be that makes your trees sick. I'll pay attention to them when walking through the forest and when I come back, I'll look what I can do. Is that alright?”  
  
The wolf stopped in its tracks.  
“I never thought I would ever say that, but.. I'm counting on you, human.”  
  
  
That was all he needed to hear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tbh when I was writing I had so many ideas at what to put into the chapter notes but here I am, not remembering what I had wanted to tell you at all :'DD
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it ♥
> 
> Come and talk to me on my [tumblr](https://pinkteabagarhut.tumblr.com/) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/phantomdieb)


	9. Homesick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting close to the end!
> 
> ✨ Enjoy ✨

Back at home, Akaashi took a sip of tea and put the mug aside before he leaned over his book again. Surely he should be able to find something. His mother had always loved books and had gotten many of them, of which all now belonged to him. Which came in handy now.  
  
Yet it was also that mass of books that took him so long to find what he was searching for. He was tired, no, utterly exhausted when he finally stumbled over a paragraph that talked about sick trees.   
  
He rubbed his eyes and brought the tea cup against his lips, only to find that there was no tea left in there. Akaashi sighed and read the paragraph, again and again, since the words seemed to make no sense to him. In the end he gave up and slipped the owl feather between the pages to mark where he had found it. He got up and stretched, moaning while doing so. The futon looked so comfortable, and the pillow so soft, that Akaashi just lay down and didn't even bother to cover himself before he fell asleep.  
  
  
Akaashi woke up the next day, feeling much better. He made himself a tea and then picked up the book again. This time the words made much more sense to him. He twisted the owl feather between his thumb and index while reading, but stopped when he finally found what he was searching for.   
  
He read that part, again and again and again, memorizing every single word as if his life depended on it. Once he internalized it, he closed the book and put it back on its place before he downed his tea in one go and ran out of the door to get some equipment and then made his way towards the forest.  
  
Akaashi had a promise to hold.  
  
  
He only stopped when he saw a little tree spirit appear. He had promised them that he'd come by soon again, so he could at least stop to say hello. Akaashi got onto his knees and sat down. “I'm sorry,” he said quietly. “I have to hurry once again.” He reached out for the spirit and carefully rubbed the tree spirit's head with the tips of his fingers when he suddenly had an idea. “Say, would you be interested in helping me?”  
  
The tree spirit cocked its head and looked at Akaashi.  
  
“Some of the trees in the part that the wolves live in are sick. Can you help me finding them?” he whispered quietly and offered his hand to the spirit. It just climbed on Akaashi's hand and sat down.   
  
Akaashi took that as a sign and got up. He made sure that the spirit was sitting comfortably before he kept moving.  
  
  
With help from the tree spirit, Akaashi found the first sick tree quite fast. As he had read in his book the leaves were supposed to be still green but only faintly so, and the tips of the branches were hanging limply, the colour a sick brown-yellow. The bark started to peel. The most prominent sign, though, were the fungi that were spread around the base of the tree trunk.  
  
Akaashi dropped to his knees and started pulling them out, putting them all into a little basket he had taken with him. When he was finished he did the same procedure again. He found a sick tree with the help of the tree spirit that was accompanying him, then got down and pulled out every single fungus that he could find.  
  
  
He spent his entire morning finding sick trees and removing fungi. What stopped him was his growling stomach. Akaashi finished the tree he was working on and then asked the tree spirit to guide him to the river so that he could wash his hands. After that he looked around for something edible. On his search he found a bush with red berries which he ate. They were sweet and their juice was running down Akaashi's chin and onto his clothes, dying them red. He wiped off his chin with the back of his hand and went back to the river to wash them.  
  
  
Akaashi spent the entire afternoon searching for more sick trees and pulling out those fungi that were causing their sickness. He only went back home when it got dark. The tree spirit stayed in the forest, but Akaashi hoped that it would wait for him the next day at the same spot.  
  
  
Back at home Akaashi made a little fire outside and threw the fungi in so it couldn't make any more damage. His stomach started to growl again so Akaashi quickly put the fire out and went in to make himself some rice. When he was full, he was ready to go to bed, tired after working in the forest all day, when his eyes fell on Koutarou's feather. For some reason it reminded him of what he had told him. About that child that he had blessed. Why hadn't he come back to the owl spirit?  
  
Akaashi let his fingers hover over the spines of the books before he grabbed one and read until he fell asleep.  
  
  
His following days were all the same. Get up early, work in the forest until it got dark, go home, eat, sleep. He also stayed true to his word and said nothing when he went to visit the foxes. He was glad to see that Akinori seemed to do much better again and also shifted back into his fox form. The spirit seemed to be curious about what the wolf spirit had told him back then, but didn't ask or push him into telling him and Akaashi really appreciated that.  
  
  
Akaashi lost track of how many days he had been working in the forest when he got rid of the fungi at the last sick tree. He wiped his sweat and left a dirty streak with his hand. He did it. Now he only had to hope that the trees were able to recover soon so that the animals would come back. The basket full of fungi in his hand, he went to the wolves. Akaashi had thanked the tree spirit a lot, which went back to its own tree when he had said that he was going to see the wolves.  
  
So he was alone. His heart was beating like crazy when he finally managed to find their place. He was still a little nervous about them, but knowing that he had been blessed by Koutarou, as well as getting the leader to confide in him and tell him about their secret helped him a lot to not freak out about it.  
  
  
It didn't take long before the wolf spirit appeared before him.  
  
“I already thought that you've forgotten your promise, human.”  
  
Akaashi swallowed. “I didn't. Actually, I was working in the forest the entire time.”  
He moved his basket to show the spirit the fungi. “These were causing the tree's sickness. I've read about them in a book and it said that pulling them out of the ground should help a lot. It may still take a while until the trees recover and some may even be too damaged already to ever recover, but the animals should sense that the danger coming from these is gone and should come back soon. If that happens again, all you have to do is get rid of the fungi around the tree.”  
  
The wolf spirit looked from Akaashi to the basket and then back to Akaashi.  
  
“And you didn't tell anyone a word?”  
  
“Not a single one.” Akaashi looked the wolf spirit directly into his eyes.  
  
“I have to thank you. In behalf of my whole pack. And to show our thanks, I name you a part of our pack. If you ever need help, you can count on us. We will help you, just as you helped us.”  
  
Akaashi felt speechless for a moment. “I feel honoured,” he finally managed to say.  
  
The wolf chuckled. “You should be. You're the first human to join our wolf pack ever.”  
  
Akaashi couldn't help but to smile. “Does that make me part wolf now?”  
  
The spirit looked amused. “We could talk about that after you stop smelling like a human.”  
  
This time, Akaashi laughed wholeheartedly.  
  
  
He wandered through the forest, accompanied by a few spirits. Some of the bird spirits flew in front of him, leading the way. It was so very peaceful around him. The sun shone through the trees on Akaashi‘s face, warming him even though the days became colder and colder. He looked around, soaking in the sights of colourful leaves on the ground, on the trees, everywhere. Akaashi took a deep breath of the fresh air.  
  
‘I love it,’ he thinks to himself and he wonders why the people ever started calling the spirits evil. He knew that the spirits could get violent. The attack on Akinori had proven that. But they could also be gentle and caring. Protective even, if he thought back to Koutarou‘s reaction. A sigh escapes his lips and Akaashi wishes that he could live in the forest.  
  
  
The bird spirits landed in front of him and Akaashi looked up again, taking in his surroundings. He gasped, as the place they led him to looked like straight out of a tale his mother had always told him. There were trees surrounding it completely with leaves hanging almost to the ground, shielding the place from the outside. There was a big tree trunk lying on the ground, covered in flowers, which bloomed despite the approaching winter. Yellow, red, blue, violet. All kinds of colours.   
  
And it was quiet, he noticed. Not a sound except for the leaves rustling and the quiet sound of splashing water. Akaashi followed the sound and found a small creek.   
  
His chest started to hurt as suddenly he felt homesick. Yet not for the house he was living in in the village.   
No.   
He wanted to live here, right in this spot. But he wasn‘t and he _couldn‘t_ and that hit him harder than he had thought.  
  
  
Akaashi took a deep breath when he heard the leaves rustling a little louder. When he turned around, he saw Koutarou standing there.  
  
A soft smile found its way on his lips. “Koutarou,” he breathed and watched the owl spirit grin at him happily.  
  
“Akaashi,” he said, “I didn‘t expect to find you hear.”  
  
“Neither did I expect to find you here.”  
  
The spirit then noticed the other spirits and eyed them warily. Akaashi noticed how they shrunk back under his stare.  
  
“It‘s fine, Koutarou. They‘ve been so kind to lead me to this place. Please don‘t scare them off.”  
  
The owl spirit seemed to not like it, but eventually he gave in and sighed. “Fine.”  
  
He walked up to Akaashi and stopped by his side.  
  
  
“I wish I could live here,” Akaashi suddenly said, which made Koutarou turn his head to him.  
  
“Why aren‘t you, then?” He asked and seemed honestly confused about it.  
  
Akaashi sighed. “I am human. I don‘t belong into this forest. My home is in the village, up on that small hill.”  
  
“I don‘t think so,” Koutarou replied, his voice vigorous, but not unpleasantly so. “You belong here much more than anyone else. You‘re friendly and kind, you help the spirits. _All_ of them. Even the small ones. Even if they have threatened you or someone else you know before. You listen to them and earn their respect.”  
  
Akaashi swallowed and looked at the Koutarou, who kept talking.  
  
“I‘ve heard from the wolf spirit. I‘ve been there because I thought I‘d heard you and I was worried since you‘ve said that the wolf spirit has threatened you before. But when I arrived you already left. Instead, their alpha told me that he announced you one of their pack. Do you even realize how amazing that is? To get the proud wolves to let a human join their pack?”  
  
The owl spirit grabbed Akaashi‘s shoulders and flapped with his wings a few times.   
  
“I‘ve _never_ heard of something like that and believe me, I live for a very long time now. But you just… walked in and managed that. You not just belong into this forest, but the forest should belong to you.”  
  
Akaashi was speechless and his entire face got red. He lowered his head, unable to look at the spirit‘s face.  
  
“Thank you, Koutarou,” he managed to whisper after a few minutes. “Yet I still have to stay in my home. I can‘t get all of what I need to live here. I can get it in the village though. But your words made me very, very happy.”   
He looked up at the spirit, wearing a joyful grin on his face. His heart was warm. And he was sure that as long as he was able to visit the spirits in their forest, he could endure everything.  
  
  
Akaashi and Koutarou sat next to each other on the fallen tree trunk and Akaashi leaned his head against Koutarou‘s shoulder. The owl spirit‘s wing was draped over him.  
  
“His name was Hinata,” Akaashi suddenly said. When Koutarou turned to him, he explained. “The other human you blessed. The kid. His name was Hinata. I‘ve managed to find something about him in a book.”

  
He felt Koutarou‘s arm sneak around his waist. “Continue, please.”  
  
“He was a former village leader‘s son. But that was,” he swallowed, “-that was about 200 years ago.” Koutarou nodded, not fazed by the number of years that had passed since then.  
  
“In the book it said that he had a strange obsession with the forest and even though his parents begged him not to, he went there one time. But once they saw him coming back home in good health and with a good mood, they let him. Until he woke up with black wings one day. His parents wanted to cut them off, but it hurt and he fled. He flew away but he didn‘t came far. He was struck down by a farmer who thought that he was a demon.”  
  
Akaashi felt Koutarou getting all tense under his head and wanted to apologize when the spirit put a hand into his hair and pulled him closer to him, as if to protect him.  
  
“What happened then?” the owl spirit asked quietly.  
  
“He was buried in an unknown spot, far away from the village, and ever since no one is allowed near the forest.” He sighed. “I‘m sorry, I think I kinda ruined the mood with this.”  
  
But Koutarou shook his head.  
“You didn‘t. Thank you for telling me.”  
  
  
When Koutarou flew with him to their usual parting spot and put him down, he suddenly pulled him close to his chest again.  
  
“Promise me you will be careful out there,” he whispered to him and Akaashi nodded.  
  
“I promise.”  
  
Koutarou let go of him and Akaashi waited for him to fly away, when the owl spirit suddenly cupped his face with his hands and pressed a kiss to his cheek.  
  
  
He left Akaashi standing there, feeling a little dizzy, as he flew out into the dark night.


	10. Love and Betrayal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *jazz hands*  
> it's almost done my friends  
> we're almost there.
> 
> Just a little thing though!
> 
>  **PLEASE** mind that this fic is neither _rated_ , nor did I chose to put a _warning_ on it.  
>  Means: anything can happen.  
>  ~~(translation: some.. edgy stuff _will_ happen)~~
> 
> so please be careful!

Akaashi's cheek still burned where he could feel the faint trace of Koutarou's lips. He had kissed him. On his cheek, but a kiss nevertheless. The thought made his cheeks and neck burn. It also made him nervous.  
  
Koutarou had kissed him.  
  
He tossed and turned on his futon, but he just couldn't fall asleep because his thoughts kept wandering to a certain spirit. But while it made his insides rumble happily, he also knew the dilemma he found himself in. He could feel it. He could feel that he was falling in love with him.  
  
With a spirit.  
  
Even if it all seemed well and Akaashi was more than happy, he knew deep inside that it was never going to work. Even if by some miracle Koutarou's actions meant that he was reciprocating his feelings. Even if they both wanted it, longed for it. The wall that was between them, the difference of a spirit and a human, was just too high.  
  
The rational part of him told him to break it off as long as he was able to do so. To stay away from the forest, the spirits, from _Koutarou_ , to protect himself from even more pain that would follow if he didn't. His heart, however, was telling him a whole different story. It longed for him, craved his presence. It beat faster when he thought of him and reminded him of the silent promise he gave to Koutarou. The promise of not leaving him. It ached when he thought about pushing the owl spirit away, ached at the thought of not seeing him again.  
  
His heart was truely a traitor within his own body.  
  
Akaashi fell asleep eventually, but even in his dreams, all he could see was a beautiful pair of owl wings.  
  
  
The next day came too fast for Akaashi's taste, and having slept so little left him a bit grumpy.  
  
While he washed himself he decided to stay in the village for the day, as he had spent almost every second in the forest lately. Even if he liked it there, he had some responsiblities here as well.  
  
He decided to start with cleaning the house. Some time had passed since he had last done so, leaving everything dusty. Akaashi started from above, cleaning the dust off of all surfaces, before he started to scrub the floors. It wasn‘t much, since the house he was living in was quite small, but it still had to be done.  
  
When he finished, the sun was already up high and Akaashi‘s stomach grumbled, reminding him to eat. So he changed his clothes and went into the village. He was aware of the stares he was getting. Of course he was. The last time he had faced the villagers he had threatened them and they had believed him, doing what he wanted. He knew they were afraid of him. A sigh escaped him. It wasn‘t a nice feeling, but as long as they left him alone, living in peace, he could do it. After all he had something to look forward to.  
  
His thoughts wandered back to the owl spirit living in the forest. Not looking where he went, he accidentally bumped into someone.  
  
The girl turned around, yelling at him to look where he was going, when she suddenly recognized him. She became pale, and no words left her mouth. Akaashi tried to recall her face and it finally clicked after a while when he saw the tiny scar on her cheek.  
She was the daughter of the village leader. He just sighed, clearly annoyed, and left, leaving a shaking girl behind.  
  
  
He walked through the streets, still wondering what he should get for lunch and dinner, when he came across some chicken. Remembering that he hadn't had any chicken in a while, he decided to go for it. The streets were quiet and suddenly he noticed that almost no one was outside when there had been so many people just a few minutes ago. Akaashi took a deep breath and hurried to get himself enough rice that it would last for some time. He insisted on paying this time, even though the merchant seemed reluctant. Akaashi didn't care. He didn't want them to say that he was having any debts.  
  
Tea was the last thing he stopped for and once again he bought himself so it would last for some time. Akaashi hurried him, his stomach already protesting, and started to make his lunch.  
  
  
It was nice, he realized, now with a full stomach, sitting in your own, clean house. The air smelled fresh and a little salty from the sea nearby. With his windows open, he could hear the waves crashing against the cliffs and feel the breeze of the wind in his hair. Akaashi closed the book he was reading and leaned back, closing his eyes.  
  
Right. The village wasn't as bad if he had something like this.  
  
He dozed off.  
  
  
Akaashi woke up to the sound of breaking wood. He startled from his sleep and rubbed his eyes when someone grabbed him by his hair and yanked him outside. Akaashi let out a yelp and stumbled after them. Once outside, he was thrown to the ground and when he sat up and looked around, he found himself surrounded by villagers. Angry looking villagers.  
  
“Now you've gone too far!”  
  
Akaashi blinked at them, confused. One of the villagers grabbed him by his collar and pulled him up.  
“To steal away the daughter of a mother, the heir of a father, and the future wife of a man. You're going to pay for this, you monster!”  
  
He swung his arm and it was too late for Akaashi when he noticed the stick in that man's hand. It hit his head full force, causing him to scream in pain. His hands shot to where he had striked him and Akaashi noticed something wet sticking to his hand when he touched the spot. As if they had waited for it, the other villagers started to kick him, others beat him with a stick like the first villager had, and again others threw stones at him.  
  
Akaashi tried to shield himself from their violence as good as he could and curled himself into a ball. But they kept kicking him, beating him, throwing stones at him, no matter how hard he was whimpering or crying or screaming. That was when Akaashi realized that they wanted to end it. To end him. They tried to kill him. He couldn't die. He had made a promise to Koutarou.  
  
Akaashi lifted his arms a bit and earned himself a kick in his ribs. They cracked loudly and Akaashi let out a yell. It was loud, loud enough to startle the villagers a bit and make them move back, which gave him an opening.  
  
Akaashi jumped to his feet as quick as possible and dashed for it. Down from his hill and through the village. He prayed that there weren't more people waiting for him there. But he was lucky. He stumbled for a second when a big stone hit his back from where the other villager were following him, but he caught himself and kept running, hissing though his teeth.  
  
It hurt. His head hurt, his legs hurt, his ribs hurt. His whole body seemed to be an entire big bruise.  
  
But he kept running. He had to keep going until he was safe. They were still following him. He could hear them behind himself. But his eyes looked forward. Looked at the forest. It was starting to get dark, leaving the entrance of the forest even darker than at daylight. He hoped that they'd give up once they saw him entering the forest.  
  
But his hopes got shattered when he heard twigs cracking behind him. Another thrown stone hit his feet. Though it must have been by luck since it was too dark to see anything, it caused him to stumble and fall anyway.  
  
His heart beat like crazy and he wanted to get up and keep running. They were still too close. He wasn't safe.  
  
But his body betrayed him.  
  
Akaashi pushed himself up with his hands, just to fall again. He was shaking and feeling dizzy. They were coming closer, he could hear them in the distance. Akaashi started to crawl forwards. Anything to get away from them. But after a few meters he couldn't even do that anymore. His breathing was hard and his lungs felt like they were on fire. Maybe they were. He couldn't tell. His arms and legs felt like they were pressed down by stone, unable to move even an inch.  
  
Akaashi tried to calm his breathing and when he did he could hear their yelling more clearly. He wished he had not.  
  
They had spotted him. Everything in him was screaming but he couldn't move, he couldn't move, he couldn't-  
  
A kick to his chest left him wheezing, and then coughing.  
  
He didn't even have the energy to curl himself up to shield his chest from their relentless fury, so he did the only thing that came to his mind.  
  
“Koutarou.” He called for him, prayed that he heard him. But his voice was weak and barely more than a whisper. “Kou-” he got interrupted by another kick to his chest and he coughed again, the tears flowing down his cheeks, leaving dirty spots where they met the dirt of the ground on his cheek.  
  
His head spinned and Akaashi felt his conciousness starting to slip.  
  
  
It seemed like he couldn't keep his promise after all.  
  
  
His body slowly grew numb and the yelling became only a distant, quiet noise. Koutarou still wasn't there.  
  
His breath hitched in his throat and Akaashi gave up. Koutarou wouldn't come and save him. But he wasn't angry or disappointed. More… guilty.  
  
Guilty because he couldn't keep up his promise to Koutarou.  
He hadn't been careful enough.  
He wasn't going to stay by his side.  
  
“Forgive me, Koutarou,” he breathed weakly before he lost conciousness.

  
  
–  
  


There was a gush of wind blowing through the trees, making the leaves rustle.  
  
_Something didn't feel right._  
  
“What are you doing,” a voice suddenly broke through the night. The villagers turned their heads, but it was dark and they couldn't see much. It wasn't until he stepped forward that they noticed his piercing golden eyes. He stopped next to Akaashi and when his gaze fell on the man on the ground a gasp escaped him.  
  
“What are you _doing_?” he repeated, much more furious this time.  
  
One of the villagers stepped forward.  
  
“Whoever you are, you should leave this place. This is the spirit's forest and they're going to lead you astray before they leave you to die if they find you. This one-” he points at Akaashi with his chin, “was one of them. An evil spirit. He has hurt and even killed some of our villagers. His latest victim was the daughter of our leader.”  
  
_It felt like something was missing._  
  
He clenched his fist and lifted his head.  
  
“An evil spirit?”  
  
“Yes, he-”  
  
“He is a human like you, you fool.” He was furious.  
  
“You don't understand, he-”  
  
“No, _you_ don't understand, human.” Koutarou stepped forward and flapped his enourmous wings a few times. “Because _I_ am an actual spirit and he-” he pointed at Akaashi, “-is just a simple human.”  
  
The villagers now stared at him, terrified, their eyes widened. The man who had talked to him stood still. He was petrified.  
  
“If you ever lay your hands on him again, I will find you and I will _skin you alive_ , do you understand?”  
  
When they didn't answer him, he stepped forward and grabbed the man's collar.  
“Do you understand?”  
  
A pathetic noise escaped his lips before he nodded and Koutarou let go of him. He remembered what he had promised to Akaashi. That he wouldn't harm a villager unless Akaashi asked it of him.  
  
“And now leave and never ever come back.”  
  
At least he didn't have to repeat himself again, as they quickly turned around and ran as fast as they could.  
  
  
Koutarou scoffed and then knelt down next to Akaashi.  
  
He moved him on his back carefully and drew his eyebrows together in worry when he saw the blood sticking to his pale face.  
  
“Hey, Akaashi. Open your eyes. Come on, I'm gonna take you to Morisuke. He'll get you back on your feet.” He gently touched Akaashi's cheek with his thumb and caressed it.  
  
But Akaashi didn't move.  
  
“Akaashi, they're gone now. Hey hey, Akaashi. I'm gonna pick you up and get you to Morisuke, alright?”  
  
Koutarou put an arm around his shoulders and under his head, and the other one under his knees.  
“Let's go.”  
  
He picked him up and watched as his hand limply fell from his stomach.  
“Akaashi, you-”  
  
That's when he noticed it. The weird feeling he had had. The feeling that something was missing.  
  
It was Akaashi's heartbeat. He couldn't hear it anymore.  
  
“Akaashi? Akaashi!” Koutarou now yelled. But to no avail.  
  
  
Akaashi's heart stood still.  
  
  
It wouldn't start beating again and Koutarou's pleas stayed unheard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dam dam dam  
> there it is
> 
> also look out for the last chapter  
> It'll go up on the 13th September ~~(so I can go happy birthday to me)~~


	11. A Place called Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _And sometimes there's a place called home..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who don't know yet: I started a [writing blog](http://phantomdieb.tumblr.com/) not too long ago so check it out!
> 
> But for now...
> 
> Have fun reading! ✨✨✨

“Koutarou, you have to let him go.” Tetsurou's voice was soft. Unlike from what you'd expect from a fierce spirit. His fists, however, were tightly clenched.  
  
His friend remained silent, though, and just clutched the body in his arms tighter.  
  
Tetsurou whipped around when he heard footsteps coming closer.  
  
“Is it true?” he heard Akinori say breathlessly before he even properly arrived. “Is it true what the tree spirits are saying?”  
  
The cat spirit turned his head back to Koutarou, who was sitting on the ground of Morisuke's home.  
  
In his hands he held Akaashi's cold body.  
  
  
The fox spirit stepped forward, his eyes widened in disbelief.  
“This can't be.”  
But deep inside he already knew that it was the bitter truth.  
  
  
Taichi, who had come with him and was watching quietly, put his hand on his brother's shoulder.  
  
“Akinori, shall I go and tell _her_?”  
  
Akinori nodded slowly, his eyes still on Akaashi.  
“ _She_ has to know about this.”  
  
The younger fox spirit nodded and lowered his head before Akaashi – a gesture of respect. His gaze lingered on his body just one more second before he turned around and – shifting into his fox form – quickly left to tell the Fox Goddess about Akaashi's death.  
  
  
The news spread fast, so it wasn't long until they heard footsteps again. But this time they sounded heavier. Bigger.  
  
Akinori involuntairly let out a growl when he spotted the wolf spirit.  
  
But the latter didn't even glance at him and just ignored the fox spirit's behaviour.  
“So it is true,” he said blatantly when he spotted Koutarou clutching the dead human.  
  
Tetsurou nodded silently.  
“How did this happen?” The wolf spirit demanded to know.  
  
Koutarou lowered his head until his nose was buried in Akaashi's hair.  
“The other humans made him responsible for some deaths and illnesses occuring in their village and killed him to make it stop.” It was the first words he had said ever since he had come to the cats. “They thought he was an evil spirit.”  
  
A low growl escaped now not only Akinori, but also the wolf spirit and both cat spirits.  
  
“They will pay for this,” Morisuke hissed.  
  
“We'll make them suffer,” the wolf spirit agreed, earning nods of approval from the others.  
  
From everyone except Koutarou.  
“No,” he said quietly, even calmly. But still firm. He didn't move his nose out of Akaashi's hair.  
The spirits stared at him, visibly confused.  
  
“What are you saying, Koutarou?” Tetsurou asked him.  
  
“I won't harm them. And neither will you.”  
  
“And why?” the wolf growled at him, clearly angry at him for his words.  
  
“Because Akaashi forbid it. He told me that no matter what they did, they were still humans like him and that he doesn't want them any harm.”  
  
“Are you even listening to yourself?” Akinori leapt forwards and grabbed his shoulders before he buried his claws into Koutarou's shoulder in an attempt to wake him from whatever trance he seemed to be in. “They _killed_ him! He is _dead_ because of them! There is no reason to not revenge him.”  
  
“No,” Koutarou coldly repeated and then looked up to stare directly into Akinori's eyes.  
  
“Whoever dares to touch them, or even look at them, will face me. Do you understand?” His eyes gleamed darkly and the fox spirit stepped back, biting back a growl that threatened to escape.  
“Trust me, I want to tear them apart more than all of you together. But I gave a promise to Akaashi. And I'd rather kill you or even myself before breaking this promise, alright?”  
  
The air seemed colder suddenly, but then a soft sigh left Akinori's lips.  
“Fine.”  
  
Koutarou turned to the others.  
  
“You, too. Touch them and you're dead.” His voice was deep and held such a power, that even though he was friends with Koutarou for such a long time now, it took Tetsurou all of his willpower to not bow to him.  
  
“Understood.”  
  
  
Some days passed and Winter was coming closer. They could all feel it. The air tasted crisp when the spirits stood by the freezing river.  
  
All of them.  
  
The fox spirits, the wolf spirits, all cat spirits. All the minor spirits like the tree and rabbit and bird spirits. Even the owls which Akaashi had seen when they were still small balls of fluffy feathers were there.  
All of them stood there in peace.  
For Akaashi.  
  
It was the same spot where Koutarou had first met the strange human, who grew to be so dear to all of them.  
  
Slowly, one by one, they came up to the owl spirit who held his body and bid their farewell to Akaashi. Even Shimizu, Goddess of the foxes, appeared, giving Akaashi a last blessing. The surprised muttering about her appearance died down quickly.  
  
  
The whole time, Koutarou watched them saying goodbyes to Akaashi with an emotionless expression.  
  
His turn was last.  
  
He knelt down and rested Akaashi on his lap. One arm still around his shoulders, Koutarou used the other to pluck a feather from right above his heart and put it into Akaashi's hair. Some of the spirits started to whisper as it was a gesture that signaled unconditional love. To do something like that for a human let them know for sure: Akaashi must have been incredibly important to the owl spirit. He had been special through and through.  
Which made all of this hurt even more.  
  
Spirits experienced pain and mourning differently than humans. And yet they all could see when one of their own was suffering.  
And Koutarou was definitely suffering.  
  
  
Koutarou got up again, Akaashi's body tightly secured in his arms. He took a few steps forward and stopped again. He allowed himself to glance at him. And in a moment of weakness, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead.  
  
  
He straightened his back again and stepped into the water. It was cold and Koutarou wanted to leave, but he couldn't. It had to be him who let Akaashi go.  
  
Him and no one else.  
  
Koutarou stood in the water. Just feeling the stream. The constant tugging of water. _He had to let go._  
  
He couldn't tell for how long he had been in the water, but his feet became numb in the cold and _he_ _didn't want_ _to let go._  
  
Koutarou looked one last time at Akaashi's peaceful face before his hands were doing what his mind was screaming at him to not do: he just let him go.  
  
On his lips, an unheard goodbye.  
  
  
“Farewell, my beloved owl prince.”

  
  
–  
  


A season passed and spring was already announcing itself. The first flowers began to grow, birds began to sing and leaves sprouted on trees.  
  
Koutarou, however, hadn't changed at all.  
  
Ever since he had let go of Akaashi and had returned home, he hadn't moved. Snow, ice. He didn't care.  
  
Akaashi was gone.  
  
Why should he care about something like the weather? Why should he care about food? Anything that was going on in the forest?  
Tetsurou had long given up on trying to cheer him up either, leaving his miserable self alone with his thoughts.  
  
  
Or so he had thought.  
  
  
“Koutarou.” He heard Tetsurou's voice all the way down from his tree.  
“Koutarou, come down.”  
  
“Go away, cat. I'm not in the mood for your games,” he said with no emotion in his voice. He didn't care.  
  
Normally the cat spirit would leave now. But Tetsurou seemed to be especially annoying today.  
“I need to show you something.”  
  
“It can wait.”  
  
“No, it can't. It really can't.” There was something in his voice that made Koutarou curious just the slightest bit. But still not curious enough. He was too tired for this.  
“Leave.”  
  
“Listen here, owl.” Tetsurou's voice dropped an octave. “Either you come down yourself, or I'm climbing up this stupid tree and drag you down carrying you like a kitten with my teeth in your neck.”  
  
“Sure.” Koutarou just shrugged when suddenly his tree started to shake.  
“What-? What are you doing?” The owl spirit leaned over the rim to look down and he watched as the cat spirit really started to climb his tree.  
  
“Did you think I was joking? Now come down already.”  
  
A frustrated hoot escaped Koutarou but he knew that look in Tetsurou's eyes so he finally gave in.  
“Fine. Show me what you want to show me and then leave me alone again.”  
  
“If you wish so.”  
  
  
They moved slower than they would have if they had flown. But Tetsurou was no bird and preferred to stay on the ground. The cat spirit had also refused to tell them where they were going. But soon he remembered. He had been here before. He had been here along with–  
  
Koutarou stopped.  
  
“I'm going back,” he announced and turned around already.  
  
“No, you don't!” Tetsurou jumped in front of him and hissed at him.  
  
“Do you think you can stop me that easily? I am stronger than you and I can fly. I just have to–”  
  
“Koutarou.”  
  
His last words got stuck in his throat. He knew that voice. He'd know it anywhere.  
  
Slowly the owl spirit turned around.  
Standing there was no other than Akaashi, _his Akaashi_ himself. His hair a little disheveled and his cheeks slightly pink, but it was undoubtly him.  
  
Koutarou stared at the other, his mouth opened as the other smiled at him as if nothing had happened.  
  
“But.. but how? You– you were– I let you–”  
  
“I know. Some things happened and it took me some time but… now I'm here.”  
  
The owl spirit took a step towards him, still visibly confused.  
“Akaashi, you–”  
  
The other closed the gap between them and put a finger to his mouth, a small smile on his lips.  
“No, not Akaashi.”  
  
The other stared at him in confusion.  
  
“It's Keiji. Call me Keiji.” As if he had waited for it, Akaashi, no, _Keiji_ spread his wings and left Koutarou speechless for a while.  
  
“You are…. a spirit. An owl spirit,” he finally managed to choke out.  
  
“Just like you,” Keiji grinned at him and it was the most beautiful grin Koutarou had ever seen.  
  
  
The next second the owl spirit had already wrapped his arms around Keiji and lifted him up, spinning with him. Their laughter resonated in the quiet forest.  
  
  
When they stopped for a moment, Keiji cupped Koutarou's face with his hands and looked at him with so much adoration that Koutarou felt like his heart would burst out of his chest in any second.  
And then, just like that, Keiji leaned down and kissed him.  
  
  
“I am home,” Keiji whispered to him after they broke their kiss. “I am finally home.”  
  
  
Koutarou smiled brightly.  
“I missed you. Welcome home, my owl prince. Welcome home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ..aaand that's it!
> 
> I wanted to thank everyone for reading supporting me through this whole time!  
> It was honestly all of your kudos and comments made me smile and kept me motivated♥  
> *sends smooches your way*
> 
> Anyway, if you're interested, check out my other stuff >)
> 
> Until then~ ✨

**Author's Note:**

> Yay, here it is. I'd like to thank my school report for giving me the motivation to write something else.  
> Procrastination wins. (ﾉ^ヮ^)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧
> 
> Come and talk to me!
> 
>  
> 
> [tumblr](http://pinkteabagarhut.tumblr.com/)  
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/phantomdieb)


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